OUR VISION
No one hungry · No one homeless · Children and families thriving!
OUR MISSION
COHHO strives to end homelessness, hunger and its effects through individual and collective acts of compassion.
In keeping with First Unitarian’s eight principles and as social justice allies, COHHO…
SERVES
We volunteer and recruit volunteers to help our community partners in supporting the needs of the individuals and families they serve.
INFORMS
We inform the First Unitarian community about the effects of homelessness and hunger and about initiatives for change. We spread the word about opportunities to make a difference through volunteering and making donations.
ADVOCATES
We advocate with community and elected leaders in Portland, Multnomah County and the State of Oregon for positive change on issues and policies affecting homelessness and hunger and their root causes. We ally ourselves with other faith communities involved in this work.
COHHO Meetings
From September through May, we meet on the third Sunday of each month from 1 – 2:30 pm. While First Unitarian services are virtual, we are meeting via Zoom. Join us by requesting the Zoom link here.
For more information about COHHO and to sign up for our email updates, contact us here.
Our Community Partners
- Clay Street Table
A non-profit operating out of First Christian Church in downtown Portland, Clay Street Table feeds many hundreds of people, including those from communities of color and houseless individuals, on a weekly basis.
COHHO members join student and other adult volunteers to set up and run in-person pantries at the church and to deliver groceries to other pantries serving Latinx and Asian communities.
- The Good Neighbor Program
The Good Neighbor Program is an all-volunteer arm of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. Stephanie Hansen, a board member who was once homeless herself, began passing out water bottles during the wildfires in the summer of 2020. Since then, she and many other volunteers (including COHHO members) have grown the program by distributing essential goods for survival to approximately 200 unhoused downtown neighbors, showing they care and building “good neighbor” relationships. To join them, contact Stephanie here.
- Interfaith Alliance on Poverty
A faith-based community of congregations, Interfaith Alliance on Poverty seeks to mitigate the injustices that cause poverty through education, inspiration and action to bring about positive change. They work to understand the situations and policies that perpetuate poverty from one generation to the next, to share what they have learned and to advocate for policy changes. Sign up here for their newsletter.
- Portland Homeless Families Solutions (PHFS)
Portland Homeless Families Solutions (PHFS) empowers homeless families with children to get back into housing and to stay housed for the long term.
COHHO participates in the PHFS Spring Festival and December Holiday Village. In addition, we assist with dinner preparation, landscaping and a myriad of other activities. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact TC at PHFS for more information or email COHHO.
Quilts of Love
1st and 3rd Monday meetings 10 to 1 in the undercroft of Eliot Chapel. 2nd and 4th Mondays on Zoom from 10:30 to 11:30a.
This group creates quilts for families served by Path Home as they transition from the shelter to permanent housing.
Need the link? Questions? Contact Kathleen.
Learn More
You are invited to review these reports to learn more about the current state of homelessness and housing insecurity in our city, region, state and nation. Use this information as you advocate for attention and solutions for our neighbors without housing.
Quarter 1 Progress Report: Executive Summary, Metro Supportive Housing Services
During the first quarter of the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program implementation (July-Sept, 2021), Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington County partnered with Metro, acted urgently and began a large-scale homelessness and housing system expansion according to their community-driven local implementation plans. In three short months, they started brand new programs, developed new and improved processes, and were successful in connecting households to permanent housing. According to this report, they appear to be on track to strengthen and regionalize local responses to homelessness.
Interfaith Alliance on Poverty Resources
The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty has done significant research on poverty and homelessness and the resources to access additional information and contacts to organizations, researchers and elected officials. This link will take you to The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty’s education resources page.
Homelessness in Oregon: A Review of Trends, Cases and Policy Options
The Oregon Community Foundation commissioned ECONorthwest to write two reports on homelessness, one that focused on the Portland region and another that examined the issue statewide. Both reports provide an economic foundation for policy discussions surrounding a high-profile issue facing cities and communities today. View the report here.
Portland Housing Bureau 2020-21: By the Numbers
A one-page report of PHB’s accomplishments from 2020 to 2021 in creating permanent affordable housing using Portland’s 2016 housing bond funds.
2019 PIT (Point in Time) Count Report, Multnomah County, prepared by the City of Portland Joint Office of Homeless Services.
This report provides important information on people who were counted living unsheltered, in emergency shelter and in transitional housing on the night of January 23, 2019. This is the most current PIT report at this time (early 2022).
Locked Out: Reversing Federal Housing Failures and Unlocking Opportunity
This report by Rep. Earl Blumenauer synthesizes the challenges of the current state of housing policy and suggests new approaches. September 2019
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