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With an abusive situation left in Montana, Marjorie and Myesha came to Portland with the prospect of a new job and a new life awaiting them. But in this economy, nothing is a sure bet. The position closed and the family was in a new town, in the harsh winter months of December, with no leads.

Their only income was TANF and SNAP. They had never been homeless before. But with a quick call they were placed in a Multnomah county winter shelter.

Today, Marjorie is working full-time, Myesha is in school and they have their own home to enjoy. But what happened to bring this about? What are the steps nonprofits and government can take to ensure such success stories?

211info is proud to be a part of a team led by Human Solutions. And we are proud to partner with Portland Homeless Family Solutions, First Unitarian Church, Common Cup, Multnomah County Department of County Human Services and JOIN.

All told the team produced amazing results:

• 10,145 nights of shelter provided
• 87 families served

–        129 adults

–        138 children

–        267 total in families

• 85 single women or pregnant couples served
• 41 families housed, 11 more pending

How the system works

Having one phone number for people to call is crucial. The time it would take to call the different shelters – assuming you could even find their numbers – is certainly more than anyone can spare. In our case, 211info handles the Winter Shelter line and extends our hours to meet demand.

When someone calls, they speak to a call center specialist who explains what the shelter is going to be like. They can answer any questions and then they place the family in the appropriate shelter. This places both call center duties and scheduling duties in the hands of one organization – saving administrative headaches.

Once, the person or family enters the shelter they meet with a housing specialist who will discuss options for housing, provide case management and offer other services that will help the individual and their family.

In Myesha’s case, she got help enrolling in school. Meanwhile, Marjorie worked with Housing and Employment Specialists who worked with her on a frequent basis to secure a new job and to find rental assistance for three month’s rent until her income could support the family.

This year 41 people were placed in permanent housing situations with eleven more pending. This couldn’t happen without the amazing work of those in the shelter, a coordinated effort between multiple groups and the funding provided by the county.

Lessons Learned

Emily Berndt, 211info Call Center manager and one of the project leads, sees two lessons that can be learned by anyone hoping to establish a winter shelter program:

1)      Private and public sector partnerships are key. When government, independent nonprofits and the faith based community communicate effectively, coordinate efforts and leave ego out of it – the system serves people much more efficiently than if each group were doing their own thing.

2)      Compassion and knowledge is crucial for inspiring action. There can be stigma associated with needing shelter or being homeless. Having one point of contact for everyone to call removes the hassle of scheduling a shelter for those who need it. But more importantly, if the person answering that initial call is knowledgeable and compassionate then the opportunity to motivate someone to seek shelter when otherwise they may be too ashamed is invaluable. Then, when that compassion and knowledge is embodied by those in the shelters, a family has a strong chance of moving to a much more stable environment.

Have you had experience sheltering the homeless in winter months or otherwise? What are your experiences and lessons learned?