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A Place to Recover From the Trauma of Living Outside
Permanent
Supportive
Housing for
People Exiting
Homelessness
The Joyce celebrated its
grand opening in Downtown
Portland, offering people exit-
ing homelessness a chance to
heal, rebuild their lives, and re-
cover from the trauma of living
outside. The project, which re-
ceived funding from Portland’s
Housing Bond, is the eleventh
Portland Bond project to open
its doors since voters passed the
city’s first bond measure for af-
fordable housing in 2016. Com-
munity Partners for Affordable
Housing (CPAH) was selected
as the project developer in 2019,
with a vision of combining ser-
vices and housing affordable to
very low-income individuals ex-
iting homelessness.
For decades, the Joyce, located
at the corner of SW 11th Ave and
Harvey Milk Street, served as a
short-stay hotel, providing low-
cost, low-barrier housing to some
of the city’s most vulnerable
Photo credit to Alison Bates
residents. The newly renovated
Joyce now provides 66 efficient-
ly designed, affordable single
room occupancy units to house
individuals and couples exiting
homelessness. In partnership
with Cascadia Health, Native
American Rehabilitation Associ-
ation (NARA NW), and Cascade
AIDS Project, on-site supportive
services offered to residents will
include care coordination, crisis
intervention, housing stabiliza-
tion support, and wellness activ-
ities. All 66 units have Project
Based Section 8 vouchers so that
the project can continue to serve
extremely low-income residents.
“We know that housing is
essential for services to be suc-
cessful, and it provides the foun-
dation people need, not just to
survive, but to heal, thrive, and
move forward. It is hard work,
rebuilding lives, so we want to
give our residents all the tools
they need to do that work,” said
Rachael Duke, CPAH’s Execu-
tive Director. “CPAH is grateful
for the partnerships we have that
will provide the breadth of ser-
vices necessary for residents.”
CPAH also worked with Car-
leton Hart Architecture to create
a trauma-informed design that
includes elements of biophilia.
This combination provides a
sense of healing and calmness in
residents to help bring them out
of a fight or flight response. Ex-
amples of biophilia in the proj-
ect come from the use of natural
materials, calming earth-toned
paint colors, use of natural light,
and connections to the outdoors.
“The City of Portland is
proud to support the redevel-
opment of the Joyce, which has
long served this city as a haven
for people who otherwise would
land on the street. Preserving
this community asset so that it
can continue to serve the same
vulnerable population that has
always resided here—close to
services, transportation, and op-
portunities—is a critical piece
of our commitment to ending
homelessness in our city,” said
Portland City Commissioner
Carmen Rubio. “Thanks to Port-
land’s Housing Bond, the Joyce
will provide safe, stable, perma-
nent homes and critical mental
health supports so that our for-
merly houseless neighbors can
live with the peace and dignity
everyone deserves.”
Sunshine and Trees; Sunburns and Skinned Knees
Minor injuries
are as much a
part of summer
camp as S’mores
Alexis Smithers, Advanced
Practice Provider Lead and Nurse
Practitioner at Legacy-GoHealth
Urgent Care said “You can’t pre-
vent every bump and bruise, but
you can send your kids out the
door with an understanding of
safety and basic supplies to keep
them comfortable in hot, buggy
conditions.” Here are some ways
to prepare your kids for a day or
sleep away camp.
Managing medications are im-
portant. Reviewing the camp’s
medication protocols and com-
plete all authorizations or forms
prior to drop off. To be accredited
by the American Camp Associa-
tion, a summer camp must gath-
er health history information for
each camper and have a healthcare
center. Some camps also require a
physical health exam for campers.
“I know it’s a lot of paperwork,
but it’s important to be thorough
when you fill out those forms,”
says Smithers. Kids should drink
five to eight cups of water per day,
according to the American Acad-
children at summer camp
emy of Pediatrics. Drop them off
with a full tank by giving them
a big glass of water or milk with
breakfast. Send them to camp with
a full water bottle.
Suncreen is another important
factor. Pack your child’s backpack
with UVA/UVB sunscreen SPF
30 or higher. Apply a base layer
before dropping off and ask camp
leaders to remind your child to re-
apply it every two hours and after
swimming, sweating or shower-
ing. If your child comes home with
a sunburn, soothe it with methods
recommended by the American
Academy of Dermatology Asso-
ciation (AADA). Insect repellent
can prevent itchy, uncomfortable
insect bites. It also helps prevent
insect-borne infections like Lyme
disease and the West Nile and Zika
viruses,” says Smithers. Children
under 10 years old should not ap-
ply insect repellant on their own.
DEET is not approved for in-
fants under two months. Campers
should wear light-colored, light-
weight long sleeves and pants to
avoid bites. Ensure they conduct
tick checks after hiking or playing
in long grass.
Teach plant safety. Engage
kids by showing them images of
poison ivy, stinging nettle, giant
hogweed and other plants that
should not be touched. Gamify it
by creating flash cards and see-
ing how many they can get right.
Tell them to inform a counselor
immediately if they think they
touched or ingested a poisonous
plant. Practice water safety. Sign
your child up for swimming les-
sons before they leave for camp.
Make sure they know to never
enter the water unless there is a
counselor or lifeguard present.
Children who are not proficient
swimmers should always wear
life jackets. So should anyone
who is boating, water skiing, or
jet skiing. Floatation devices, like
water wings, should not be used
as a safety device. Teach children
to never drink from natural wa-
ter sources like ponds, lakes, or
streams since these water sources
often have germs that can cause
serious infections.