Spring 2020 Second Home enewsletter

Dear Friends,

Second Home is committed to supporting our students and home providers during the current pandemic. We have seen a surge of referrals since schools have closed. It is hard to stay home when you do not have one. Because our students are even more vulnerable than ever during this time, we are actively recruiting host homes.   Second Home has been taking the following measures for the safety and health of our home providers and students: Communicating electronically prior to move-in, either by telephone or video call, as much as possible. Contacting our current home providers and students more regularly to assess needs of our community. Developing an “assumption of risk form” that highlights information about the current pandemic, as well as best practice and agreement towards best practice. Continuing to assess best practices and encourage our students and partners to follow CDC and state guidelines.   Second Home staff are exploring creative outreach opportunities and would love to connect with our community partners to get the word out about our need for host homes.   If you are involved in any virtual meetings, social hours or worship gatherings that can accommodate one of our team members sharing information about Second Home, please let us know!   Furthermore, if you have additional suggestions or creative ideas for ways we could get the word out to recruit host homes with social distancing measures in place, we would love to hear them. Feel free to reach out to Amy Brownell for Washington County at abrownell@emoregon.org or Adam Jenkins for Gresham-Barlow and Clackamas County at ajenkins@emoregon.org .   If you or someone you know are wanting to take the first step in becoming a home provider for Second Home, our need is greater now than ever before. Please consider joining us and fill out a secure application .

Thank you all for your support, Jenny Pratt-Hale , Second Home Director and Beaverton Regional Coordinator Rick Stoller , Assistant Director & Home Provider Coordinator Amy Brownell , Washington County Regional Coordinator Celeste Goulding , Washington County Host Home Coordinator Adam Jenkins , Gresham-Barlow/Clackamas County Senior Regional Coordinator Brittney Piper , Projects Coordinator

Home Provider Interest Form

Meet our newest Second Home team member!

Second Home has a new Host Home Coordinator for Washington County! Celeste Goulding joins us with extensive experience working with homelessness both in Washington County and beyond. I've always been passionate about the need to build strong, connected, supportive, community. I've worked a number of jobs, all focused around maintaining energy to continue building local Severe Weather Shelter(s). There are many creative ways that we can respond to the current housing and economic crises. I am ecstatic to join one such team by beginning my work with Second Home working to recruit and support Host Homes for unaccompanied youth. Becoming an adult is hard, the amount of input and pressure youth feel today is unparalleled, and many families are having to make unimaginably tough financial decisions; we need to provide stable launching points for our youth, so we have future leadership that is able to create stability. I am honored to be a part of establishing and recruiting such homes for young people in my area. Celeste Welcome, Celeste! We are so excited to have you join us!   We are still hiring for our Clackamas County regional coordinator. If you or someone you know are interested in applying, please follow the link below.

Employment

The Chill Program

Second Home had another great year on the slopes with the Chill program!  Chill participants learned to snowboard guided by professional instructors and the six core values of the Chill program: Respect, Courage, Patience, Persistence, Responsibility, and Pride. We can't thank Jack Hochberg and Chill PDX enough for allowing us to participate in this rad opportunity to grow, learn, and challenge ourselves.

Second Home Supports May 19 Ballot Measure

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and Second Home support the Metro homelessness services ballot measure (26-210) on the May 19 ballot for voters in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties.   This ballot measure—which was passed by the Metro Council—would create a personal income and business profit tax to generate around $250 million a year for services meant to help reduce houselessness in the Metro region. The measure would place a marginal income tax of one percent on households with income over $200,000 (over $125,000 for individual filers) and a business profits tax of one percent on all businesses with revenues over $5 million. The taxes would be in effect from 2021 to 2030.   The measure is the result of advocacy and organizing by HereTogether , a coalition in which EMO proudly participates. Host home programs like Second Home could receive funding generated by these proposed taxes to expand our services and house more youth in the Portland region. Second Home encourages all of our supporters to vote “YES” on 26-210 and to spread the word in your communities! You can pledge to support the measure here or invite your own organization to join us in endorsing it here. You can even sign-up to host a virtual town hall presentation about the measure for your own organization, congregation, or other group. Please contact our team if you are interested in hosting one of these virtual town halls or have further questions.

Pledge to Vote Yes

Second Home is a program of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon 503-221-1054 | emo@emoregon.org | emoregon.org

Stay Connected with Second Home & EMO ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌