Vulnerable People and Places Blog

Although Portland, Oregon seems to be a notorious place for having a large homeless population, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, homelessness in Oregon decreased significantly between 2019 and 2020. This is a big difference and something our state should be proud of. However, due to the pandemic numbers are likely to have been on the rise. The fact that the state has implemented a rent forgiveness program is crucial to many families and individuals having housing security during these difficult times  The community may suspect that homeless has increased a lot due to the economic instability and the fact that many restaurants and businesses have indeed closed down, but this assumption is not exactly correct. While there may have been a slight increase in homelessness between 2020-2021 it’s more likely that people are just noticing homeless camps and people more than they were before, according to Koin News. One thing for certain is that while homelessness may not have offic...

Houselessness is a large issue that people all over the world face and it may seem impossible to do anything about it. However, there are actually many ways a single person can help directly in their own community. First off you can donate things: food, clothes, money, time, etc. For donating food all it takes is a quick Google search to find your local food pantry, for example near me is the Oregon Food Bank. They have a website listing all the different ways you can donate and how to do it. There are many different places you can donate clothes including shelters, Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and many, many more. These places take gently used clothes of all kinds, in the winter warm jackets and socks are especially needed. Most places that accept item donations also accept monetary donations. Nonprofit organizations are also a great place to donate money to since it all goes right back into the community. Lastly, you can donate your time by volunteering at shelters, food pantries, o...

What is DIY Fundraising? Do-it-yourself (DIY) fundraising is one of the fastest-growing types of peer-to-peer fundraising that helps launch your mission and give supporters the opportunity to help in a way that’s highly personal and convenient to them. In peer-to-peer fundraising, supporters are encouraged to start a fundraiser for an organized event like a marathon or seasonal campaign. But the main difference between a DIY fundraising and peer-to-peer fundraising, is that you don’t have to rely on a single event to raise money. Instead, by creating a DIY fundraiser, the campaign will not be attached to a single event that is running at a specific time but simply raising money for our nonprofit as a whole and gives your supporters the ability to raise money the way they want to. Why DIY Fundraise? DIY fundraising works particularly well in nonprofit organizations because donors may see some kind of community or overall value in the mission of the nonprofit. An advantage of using DIY F...

  Written by: A. Bell     When starting a non-profit there are several things that need to be considered, mainly the steps it takes to actually get your foot through the door. However, with this belief that anyone is able to start a nonprofit with the correct paperwork some things are looked over, such as how much does it cost to actually start up a non-profit. Well, how much does it actually cost? The answer to this is actually pretty complicated, as there are several stages to starting up a non-profit, and at each stage, there is a charge.  1. Incorporation costs     Once you have solidified the concept of your nonprofit and created your initial mission statement, you will be ready to establish your organization as a business. To establish your nonprofit as a business there are several forms that you must complete, which for each state the forms that you must fill out and the charges for these forms change. In one state it may cost $0, but in another stat...

A reason as to why someone might have some reservations about starting a non profit business include the necessary expenses. There are filing fees in order to start a nonprofit with the state. In most states there will be annual fees to pay to the state as well. And although a professional registered agent is recommended, there is a cost for that too. It is similar to how buying something online but needing to pay an additional shipping fee may deter buyers from completing their purchase.  There are also ongoing compliance obligations. Statutory nonprofits also have to comply with the provisions of the statute under which they were formed. The process might entail among other things, the need to file an annual report, draft bylaws (or an operating agreement), retain certain books and records, and make filings with the state upon certain important changes to the company. Another reason that could deter someone from starting a successful non-profit organization is management oversigh...

The end of a recent campaign to end youth homelessness in Washington’s King County was unsuccessful and has yet to get started again. The End Youth Homelessness Now Campaign, supported by federal grants and $1.2 million dollars from philanthropists had a bold timeline of eliminating youth homelessness by 2021. The percentage of homeless youth housed in 2020 remained unchanged from before the campaign - 31%, making up only less than a thousand people. In King County, youth homelessness had been on the decline before the campaign launched. Since 2016, unaccompanied youth and young adults under 25 dropped from 14% of the entire population in the county homeless counts to 8% — fewer than 1,000 people — in January 2020. According to a draft version of an analysis obtained by The Seattle Times, youth homelessness could be solved with a $27.5 million infusion if the system continues operating as it has. But if the system’s performance were to be improved even modestly, the problem could be s...

  Image courtesy of Pinterest.com How are we able to motivate the majority of a community to end homelessness? One reason that may be overlooked is the cost of spending for an individual to attend the emergency room. According to Greendoors.org ,  "People struggling with homelessness are often frequent users of emergency departments. On average, they visit the emergency room five times per year. The highest users of emergency departments visit weekly. Each visit costs $3,700; that's $18,500 spent per year for the average person and $44,400 spent per year for the highest users of emergency departments." According to Dr. Margot Kushel at the University of California, San Francisco,  "Homeless people have higher rates of chronic health problems than the general population. This takes the form of higher rates of illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and HIV disease"   When thinking about these costs that the healthcare sy...

Image Source There's no small sum of homelessness-oriented nonprofits operating in and around Portland. They cover issues ranging from everyday necessities like food, seasonally appropriate clothing, and temporary shelter to more permanent solutions such as creating and advocating for affordable housing as well as providing services that help the homeless regain financial stability (e.g., through job training, connections with viable opportunities). These are all wonderful, providing essential services that all help to alleviate various aspects of the homelessness issue, but there is always more to be done. Nicole Hayden, writing for Oregon Live, shares an interview with Robert Magee-Coffin and his neighbors that elucidates some unmet needs of the Portland homeless population. They identify a need for more behavioral health services, alternate shelters (established indoor shelters prove insufficient and often undesirable), housing advocacy, trash removal, and access to additi...

Homelessness: Causes, Affects, and What We Can do to Help  Many people are aware that homelessness is a progressing issue in not just the Multnomah County and Portland, but all of Oregon and Washington as well. Both of our states are among the five that have the highest percentage of unsheltered homeless people in the U.S., according to the 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report.  One of the main reasons for such a high percentage of homelessness in our state and city is the inadequate housing supply that is paired with rising rent prices. So many people in Oregon have been forced into financial instability, usually an even greater one than they were in already, due to the rise in housing costs that are driven by the undersupply of housing stock. If our community, and even society as a whole, could solve the housing crisis that has been evolving, we would create a stronger economy and a more financially stable community, while also helping people get back on their feet and ach...