JOIN: Connecting the Street to a Home 2012 Annual Report Celebrating 20 Years of Service MISSION: to support the eff orts of homeless people to transition off the streets and into permanent housing Letter from Marc Jolin, Executive Director Dear Friends, JOIN celebrated 20 years of service this year. There are many ways to try to capture what we have ac- complished over those two decades -- the thousands of people served in our day space each year; the more than 6,500 people housed; the cumulative housing retention rate of nearly 80%. But since fi rst becoming JOIN’s Executive Director six years ago, there is a quote that has exemplifi ed what I believe is most important about what JOIN brings to those experiencing homelessness in our community. Dorothy Day wrote: “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.” What we take fi rst from this quote is that, while many of us have never been homeless, we have all ex- perienced loneliness, isolation, and loss. Apart from a lack of physical safety, these are the three most central features of the experience of homelessness. Only by refl ecting on how these shared experiences aff ect us can we begin to understand, have empathy for, and off er truly eff ective support to people who are struggling to get off the streets. Next, this quote reminds us that in the midst of all the counseling, case management, treatment, skill building, and the like, the essential element that is missing for many people trying to overcome the trau- ma of homelessness is love. And what does love look like? Love looks BOARD OF DIRECTORS like the JOIN worker who stands by a mom through months of heart- ache as she fi ghts to prove she is ready to have custody of her child CHRIS BONNER and the donor who allows us to say yes to the man desperate for help President with his rent so that he doesn’t become homeless again. Love looks SARA WESTBROOK like the church parishioners who monthly welcome recently housed Vice President people for an evening of games and karaoke and the girl scouts who RUSS CAMPBELL organize a holiday food drive so that families they’ve never met feel Treasurer a part of the season. ANNA PLUMB Secretary What does love look like? Love looks like a community coming to- gether to make each of us feel welcome and cared about. For the NATHAN BEATTY past 20 years JOIN has been helping people overcome the “long FINEKE BRASSER loneliness” of homelessness by connecting them with just such a MARGARET BRYANT community. We couldn’t do it without you, who in so many essential EVELYN LIU ways, help us off er hundreds of people eachyear a permanent place AARON NAWROCKI to live and a community to belong to. SHANNON SINGLETON CHARLIE THEUMA MICHAEL WISE PAULETTE WITTWER Tasha & David’s Story Tasha and David (pictured on the front cover) met when they were living outside after leaving unstable home environments. In attempts to cope with the various hardships on the streets, they both started using methamphetamines on a regular basis. Their relationship endured, however, through their many struggles on the streets. One day, David connected with Liz, an outreach worker at JOIN and Liz worked with David to fi nd a few diff erent housing options. After saving up and with Liz’s help, the couple bought an RV that became a safe refuge from the cold. The couple soon dis- covered that Tasha was pregnant. It was this discovery that motivated Tasha and David to end their drug use. As they said, “It wasn’t good enough to fi x things for ourselves. It took someone else really special, like our own baby, to motivate a change.” The two believed their baby did not deserve a transient life- style, and they worked hard to make sure that their baby would have a stable home. David continued his work as a Refrigeration Technician and they began saving money again. “HAVING A BATHTUB TO RELAX IN, SPACE David and Tasha’s daughter, Ali, was born last FOR THE DOGS TO RUN, AND A STABLE PLACE May and she brought immense happiness to the family. Tragically, on one July morning TO COME HOME TO WERE GREAT CHANGES when Tasha went to check on the baby, Ali FOR OUR FAMILY.” didn’t stir. She had passed away during the night from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). David and Tasha were devastated. It would have been all too easy to revert back to using, but the couple remained determined to live a healthy life. Liz helped the couple fi nd an apartment where they could move in from their RV. “Having a bathtub to relax in, space for the dogs to run, and a stable place to come home to were great changes for our family.” This past November, Tasha and David were pleased to fi nd out that they were pregnant once again. Their hopes for the future are to raise their new child in a loving home. “We want to keep moving forward, not backwards, and for our lives to honor Ali’s.” VISION: a community where homelessness, if it exists at all, is short-term circumstance rather than a long-term or chronic condition CONTACT US: JOIN 1435 NE 81st Avenue Suite 100 Portland, OR 97213 503.232.7052 www.joinpdx.com Find us on Facebook Twitter @pdxjoin joinpdxblog.blogspot.com 20 Years of J OIN History 1992 JOIN founded to bridge the gap between housed and homeless communities through unique experiential “immersions” 1995 JOIN creates the Community Connections Program to involve homeless voices in the search for solutions 1997 JOIN hires our fi rst Outreach Worker, helping 2-3 2005 people off the street and into housing each week ness, JOIN In support begins housingof the community’s zero income 10 chronically homeless people 2006 1998 JOIN opens the of leadership and welcomes “house” to provide basic JOIN says goodbye to founder Rob Justus after 15 years services to homeless folks 2008 through a barter system over 3,600 friendly visits to newly housed folks JOIN helps 518 people into housing and makes Year P M lan to arc Jolin as the new Director End Homeless- Despite our focus on housing placement, JOIN maintains a commitment to experiential learning. This is a photo from an immersion in the late 90’s. At the core of JOIN’s work is our belief in the eff ectiveness of Street Outreach - meeting people where they are at in their camps. This was taken at a camp when JOIN fi rst began doing Outreach. fi rst Retention eam to 3 workers T JOIN hires the 2004 Worker, recognizing the need for more housing retention support JOIN opens the doors to a more robust basic fi rst time, JOIN engages2003 and helps rapidly re-house service center in the Brooklyn neighborhood JOIN expands the OutreachFor the 2012 Thanks to unprecedented 1999 2001 community support, JOIN celebrates and helps 325 peoplefamilies end their with homelessness children who are sleeping outside or in their cars 20 years and 6,500 open doors 2011 JOIN houses over 300 households and serves 80- 100 people each day with basic services on the House 2010 Outstanding individual and foundation support makes it possible for JOIN to open the doors to a new enhanced servicefacility on NE 81st Ave 2009 A partnership with the United Way allows JOIN to implement an in-house supportive employment program This picture - a recent one from 2011 - is the epitome of why wethe do relief the ofwork “coming we do. home.” It’s about helping people experience the joy and JOIN recognizes that in order to thrive in housing, people need access to toevents Multnomah and activities Falls in that 2007. allow them to build community. This is a JOIN trip 2012 AT A GLANCE: Service Achievements Street Outreach & Housing Placement “That fi rst day, I just sat myself down, right here, with all that furniture that JOIN brought just piled around, and I just smiled and smiled and smiled. My face hurt from smiling. And then I just got to work putting it all away. I’m so happy.” -Mary, pictured below on her move-in day • 487 individuals in 229 households move off the streets and into permanent housing, including 80 families caring for 154 children • 149 of these households identify as chronically homeless, which is defi ned by at least one year of homelessness or four episodes of homelessness in three years and a disabling condition • A demographic snapshot of all housing placements shows 49% female and 51% male; 57% white; 27% African American; 7% American Indian; 6% Multira- cial; 2% Asian; 1% Native Hawaiian • JOIN fosters relationships with more than 250 land- lords/apartment managers in order to create second chances and open doors to housing • An additional 271 individuals receive eviction pre- vention support when a job loss or cut in hours threatens their stability Historical Note JOIN hired our fi rst Outreach Worker in 1997, shifting from experiential learning to direct service. The Outreach Model - the concept of meeting people where they were at and walking with them on a path to home - was born out of the wisdom and ideas of homeless folks them- selves. JOIN wanted to reach those that were hardest to reach; those not accessing the traditional social service system. Today, JOIN’s 6 person Outreach Team engages hundreds of people throughout the community, helping them to identify and overcome barriers to housing.