| We had such a great time celebrating our new office space with some of our closest friends, family, and community partners on Tuesday, July 28th! We are so happy to have celebrated with you, and hope to see you again soon! |
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(R) Pam Wimmer, EPB&B Insurance
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(L) Dunetchka Otero-Serrano,
Community Warehouse
(M) Teri Lorenzen, Raphael House
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| 8th Annual Family Reunion Fundraiser: October 16th, 2015 |
| It's time to Save the Date! Our 8th annual Family Reunion Fundraiser will be held on Friday, October 16th, 2015 at the Melody Ballroom in SE Portland. Please join us for dinner, a live auction, paddle raise, and even more fun entertainment and games than 2014! Tickets will be available at www.pdxhfs.org in early September. |
PHFS could not be more excited to announce our new partnership with
Living Yoga, an organization whose mission is to "change
lives by fostering healing and resilience in vulnerable and marginalized communities through trauma-informed yoga."
Soon, PHFS will be welcoming certified yoga teachers, trained in the trauma-informed practice, to host weekly yoga sessions for our parents at the Goose Hollow Family Shelter. We hope that this new addition will provide a healing, supportive setting for our adult guests, as well as a unique time to spend with one another for an hour each week.
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- Laundry detergent (high-efficiency only, please)
- Pillows (new or gently used, please)
- Travel conditioner
- Allergy medicine
- Sunblock
- Deodorant
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Contact
Emily with questions or to arrange a drop off time.
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| What You Need To Know For the Shelter Closure |
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It's August, and that only means one thing at PHFS... Cleaning! Every year, the First United Methodist Church (GHFS) and the First Unitarian Church (Thirteen Salmon) request that we close the shelter(s) so that they can do their annual deep cleaning of the shelter - making it a happier, safer place for our guests, staff, and volunteers that use the space every other day in the year.
The following is an overview of our altered schedule for the month (families will be staying in a motel during the closure of both spaces, arranged by PHFS):
- Goose Hollow Family Shelter closed: Sunday, 8/2 - Wednesday, 8/5 (return on 8/6)
- Thirteen Salmon Family Center closed: Monday, 8/3 - Sunday, 8/9 (return on 8/10)
Thanks to the generosity of the First United Methodist Church in adjusting their cleaning schedule to welcome our families back to their overnight routine at the Goose sooner, GHFS will open at 8pm from 8/10 - 8/21 (vs. normal 6:30pm opening) and Thirteen Salmon will close at 8pm from 8/10 - 8/21 (vs. normal 6pm closure).
ATTENTION volunteer scheduled during 8/10 - 8/21:
- Meal Providers: Please arrive to Thirteen Salmon no later than 6:45pm to serve cooked, full dinner to guests + volunteers
- Helping Hands: Please arrive to Thirteen Salmon at 6:30pm for your shift. We ask that you travel with our families and staff to Goose at 8pm to continue your shift as normal until 9:30pm. (For special requests/accommodations, please contact Emily.)
- Kid Time Hosts: Please arrive to Thirteen Salmon at 6:30pm for your shift. We ask that you travel with our families and staff to Goose at 8pm to continue your shift as normal until 9:30pm. (For special requests/accommodations, please contact Emily.)
- Overnight Hosts: Please arrive to Goose at 8pm (vs. 7:30pm) for your shift. You are welcome to join us for dinner at Thirteen Salmon at 7pm if you prefer.
*Thirteen Salmon day volunteer shifts will remain normal during 8/10 - 8/21
Thanks for your patience and understanding during the closure! We know that this may lead to some confusion for our volunteers, so please feel free to direct any questions/concerns to Emily at [email protected] or (503) 915-8307.
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| Staff To Receive Trauma-Informed Training |
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PHFS will partner with Trauma Informed Oregon this fall to help the PHFS staff learn how to be more "Trauma Informed." Trauma Informed Care (TIC) recognizes that traumatic experiences terrify, overwhelm, and violate the individual. Homelessness itself is considered a trauma, and all of the families we work with are currently experiencing homelessness.
Many of our families experienced physical, verbal, or emotional abuse in their past. If they didn't experience it directly, they have witnessed abuse towards someone they care about. These traumatic experiences can leave kids and their parents feeling depressed, hopeless, and scared.
Trauma Informed Care is a commitment not to repeat these experiences and, in whatever way possible, to restore a sense of safety, power, and self-worth to the people that we work with.
PHFS is committed to a several-month intensive Trauma Informed Care training for the entire staff this fall starting in August . We will learn how to better support the families we are working with to empower them to accomplish their goals in a way that will support their healing through the challenging experience of experiencing homelessness. We'll keep you posted about what we learn from our training!
- Brandi Tuck
Executive Director |
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Volunteer Spotlight(s):
Alisha, Sharon, & Claire
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As we begin to say farewell to summer, PHFS wants to recognize the incredible work of 3 particular youth of our community, whose dedication to PHFS and the families that we serve never ceases to amaze us.
Alisha Zhao, PHFS Volunteer Program Intern: As Emily's volunteer program assistant, Alisha has played a vital role during this busy summer by calling On-Call volunteers for last minutes volunteer needs, recruiting new volunteers, and helping with volunteer orientations. In addition to her internship responsibilities, she's been a dedicated volunteer at the shelter, taking summer classes to prepare her for her junior year at Lincoln High School, and - to top it all off - creating her very own nonprofit organization called the
Kid's First Project: an organization that works to end the intergenerational cycle of poverty and to empower youth to reach their full potential.
Sharon Zhang, PHFS Fundraising & Development Intern: As Emily's fundraising/development assistant, Sharon has provided invaluable help and attention to planning for the 2015 Family Reunion Fundraiser, including managing mass mailings and assisting with donation procurement. In 2014, Sharon developed a book of activities designed to aide in positive development for the children at the shelter, making Sharon a lead trainer for other Kid Time Hosts at PHFS.
Claire Keepers, PSU Lead & Inspire Liaison: Claire is a rising sophomore at Portland State University, and a long-time volunteer of PHFS. During her years of volunteering at the shelters, she's demonstrated very thoughtful and genuine care towards the older youth guests, which inspired her to create her own peer-to-peer mentoring program. She will encourage volunteers from PSU to create solid connections with older youth guests (approximately 13-18 years old) in shelter, providing a genuine friendship that is so important to youth at this time in their development.
Thanks again to the 3 of you for choosing to spend your summer vacations in such a powerful, hardworking way!
- Emily Mrusko
Volunteer & Development Manager
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