December 14, 2011
$lortlanò (Dbserucr
Shelters Exceed Capacity as Cold Hits
Smiling, conversation, and en at 6 a.m. and get their kids ready for
couragement are a must. The couple Sun School, a transitional school in
often tells the kids: Everything is downtown Portland for children in
going to be okay -this is just tempo different stages of homelessness.
rary.
From warm and breezy L. A., the
"They are a little depressed be fam ily is still acclim atin g to
cause its Christmas time," said Joe. Portland’s cold and wet weather.
"It’s a big change, but I’m very They have warm and weathered
proud of them."
clothes provided to them by Human
Ot the three kids, the eldest Solutions donations. The couple is
Michael seems to be more affected fam iliarizin g th em selv es w ith
than the younger ones. As a teen, Portland’s diverse neighborhoods.
he left his friends and school be
The family rides the bus together,
hind, but as a straight-A student, and after the kids are safe at school,
Michael has taken the role as editor Joe and Cristal look for work. The
of his new school's newspaper in couple meets with a specialist once
less than one month.
a week to review employment and
"They are adapting very well," housing efforts.
said Joe. "It will take a little time, but
With the help of resources from
things will be normal again."
Human Solutions, Joe attained his
From the time families arrive at 7 Oregon drivers license.
p.m. until each settle in for bed
“I’m an Oregonian now,” he said,
around 9 p.m., the church hallways “It’s beautiful out here.”
are lively; families set up sleeping
The couple spends hours at the
arrangements, mingle, make food in library hunting for jobs online, fill
the kitchen, walk around, and the ing out applications, networking,
children play together.
and going to interviews.
"We all help each other our out,"
"There are jobs out there, you
Families set up sleeping arrangements, mingle, and try to help others at a homeless shelter
said Joe, "Like one big o l’ happy just have to look," said Joe, optimis
exclusively for families with children in east Portland.
family."
tic that he and Cristal will be em
Though a sense of camaraderie ployed by January. "You have to
Never expecting to be homeless, and homeless individuals are re- seems to air in the shelter, feelings
continued
from front
better yourself."
the couple is grateful for the wrap- ferred elsewhere
of despair and depression are just
If the agency’s housing special
watched 60 beds fill up. with more around hospitality and assume the
Upon arrival they weregivenblan- as c o m m o n , m any are smgie-par-
as common. Many are single-par- ist observes consistent effort, the
m ihespourm g in and none turned situation would be more dangerous kets, coats, food, and a place to ents who might need a break from an
Morenos will be moved up on the
7 ' ... .
t
in Los Angeles, where they left for sleep. Cristal said she bares her unhappy, teething newlrom or warn
wait list for a house or apartment.
As o the first week ,n December, a fresh start in Portland.
uncle no ill will. If he had the re- someone to talk to.
Many families receive help from
capaclty , L' vtngononetncom ewithkidsin sources to help, he would have.
“We try to uplift each other.
Human Solutions for 6 to 9 months,
every night. Food, blankets, warm Los Angeles was terrible, said
‘W e’ve been treated very kind said Cristal. “W e’re all in the same offering access to resources and
clothing, and volunteers are wear- Cristal, who worked as a nursing
housing to stabilize lives. The
ing thin. With all three Sunday assistant for minimum-wage. Her
Morenos hope to be settled in be
school rooms packed, the nursery husband was unem ployed and
fore
then.
sacrificed for bed space, and just could not find work in the finan-
"It’s just a matter of getting all
two bathrooms, only a small church cially-frozen field of construction,
our ducks in a row," said Cristal.
donation room is left unoccupied. A self-described jack of all trades
Each night, about 150 families are
“W e’re so short on space,” said and master of none, he said in L.A.,
temporarily housed between Hu
Jean DeMaster, director of Human “Construction is dead. They’re not
man Solutions other two facilities.
Solutions, who has watched the building. Factories are closing, and
About 1,000 families receive assis
number of homeless people rise in even docking is going out of busi-
tance over the course of the year.
Portland since her involvement be- ness.”
Jean D eM aster fears looming
gan in the 1970s. In the last two
Cristal’s pay check dwindled as
cuts to federal and state social-
years, fam ily hom elessness in the nursing-to-patient ratio slimmed,
services program s. Human Solu
Multnomah County has risen by 35 and her hours were cut back. The
tions fundraises an extra $700,000
percent.
couple could simply no longer af
a year to keep the shelter open
She predicts a “very bleak” fu ford rent for their apartment. Forced
longer. Federal funding shuts the
ture in “these hard economic times” to move out, the family hopped
W
inter Family Shelter at the end
for low and very-low income fami- hotels for months until Cristal found
o f March.
lies in the next few years, with the better job offers in Portland as a
“It was so unfair, in a country as
worse yet to come in January and nursing assistant.
rich as ours, that people didn’t have
February when vacations and sea-
Rent for an apartment in Portland
anywhere to stay,” said DeMaster
sonal jobs end, and people staying is $600 dollars less than Los Ange-
of her reasons for wanting to get
with family over the holidays hit the les, and as a nurse assistant, she
Portland’s homeless off the streets
streets.
would earn $4 more an hour than at
and into homes.
Human Solutions seeks to find her pervious nursing home job,
The dramatic increase in the num
long-term solutions for the home Cristal said.*
ber of homeless families needing
less by getting them out of shelters
Looking north for cheaper living
shelter has meant the quick response
and into housing. With the help of and higher-paying jobs, the family
of Human Solutions. Resources are
photos by C ari H achmann /T he P ortland O bserver
housing and employment special- rode by Greyhound to Oregon, where
tight, and Human Solutions is ap
ists, three families have been placed Cristal’s uncle had offered them a Jean DeMaster finds space for homeless families in a church
pealing to the public for help.
so
• place to stay. However, when the shelter run by her non-profit agency Human Solutions.
Volunteers are needed to as
"When you’re in this situation, couple
rela- here,” said Joe Moreno. “This is a
- and kids arrived, their ------
boat.”
sist the overnight staff by spend
you are scared, especially with chil- fives said they had been mistaken, blessing. Without it w e’d be on the
Families can only stay at the shel ing the night to reduce the need to
dren, you are very afraid," said Joe that they had no room.
streets.”
ter until 7 a.m. Most disperse to hire more paid staff. Blankets,
Moreno who is staying at the shel
“I didn’t know what to do,” said
As stressful the situation is for Human Solutions other two-day
food, and e atin g u ten sils are
ter with wife Cristal and their three Cristal. I called 211.”
Joe sand Cristal, they cannot lose shelters on Southwest 13th and
needed to serve the fam ilies at
kids, Michael, 13, Jazzmine “Jazzy”
The couple was referred to Hu- composure. Kids may not under- Salmon a and
im o u u u rc a M i ^ z u i a n c
Southeast 127th and night. Financial donations are
Rose, 10,andJerim iah,6.“But,this man Solutions Family Winter Shel- stand what’s happening, but they Market with provided bus passes,
needed to supply the costs o f
is a safe house."
ter, where only families are taken in sense their parents’ nervousness.
Every day, the Morenos wake up
keeping the shelter running.