July 24, 2024
Page 7
Homeless Mobile Intake
Team Receives Award
Adena Long
Director Long
Joins City Parks
Alliance Board
From left: Aging, Disability, and Veterans Services Division Senior Manager Joe Valtierra and
Homeless Mobile Intake Team members: Catalina Cloud, Jody Michaelson (Senior Manager)
and Byron Vaughn alongside staff members at St. Johns Village. (Photo courtesy of Motoya
Nakamura/Multnomah County)
Highest Honor
Presented by
USAging
Multnomah County has an-
nounced that the Aging, Disabil-
ity and Veterans Services Divi-
sion’s Homeless Mobile Intake
Team (HMIT) received a 2024
Aging Innovations Award from
USAging, one of the highest
honors presented by USAging to
its members.
The Homeless Mobile Intake
Team, was created to meet un-
housed people where they live
and assess them for Title XIX
long-term care services and
supports and other qualifying
critical supports such as rent
assistance and special needs
funding. The team works with
people to understand their liv-
ing and care needs and build a
person-centered plan of their
choice. The program provides
access to services for the most
vulnerable, including dispro-
portionately affected Black,
Indigenous and people of col-
or populations. It was among
16 local aging programs to
receive Innovations honors
during USAging’s 49th Annual
Conference and Tradeshow. An
additional 22 agencies received
Achievement Awards.
The 2024 USAging Aging
Innovations & Achievement
Awards, supported by Caregiv-
ing.com and Cumulus.care, rec-
ognizes USAging’s Area Agen-
cy on Aging members that have
found new and innovative ways
to support older adults, people
with disabilities and caregiv-
ers as they live in their homes
and communities. Area Agen-
cies on Aging provide a range
of services to help older adults
live safe, healthy and indepen-
dent lives. Multnomah County’s
Department of County Human
Services Aging, Disability and
Veterans Services Division is an
Area Agency on Agency.
"At USAging, we are thrilled
to recognize the outstanding
achievements of this year's Ag-
ing Innovations & Achievement
Awards recipients. Their inno-
vative programs and unwaver-
ing commitment to improving
the lives of older adults set a
high standard for excellence in
our field. These initiatives not
only enhance the well-being of
our aging population but also in-
spire others to strive for impact-
ful and lasting change in their
communities," said USAging
CEO Sandy Markwood.
“It's always a great feeling
whenever we get at least a thank
you. It's like, yes, it's a win,” said
Irma Jimenez, Aging, Disabil-
ities & Veteran Services (AD-
VSD) Division Director. “I'm
really happy to show the contin-
ued work that Oregon is doing, to
really meet the needs of our most
vulnerable individuals. And I'm
really proud of my team.”
Created by the Multnomah
County Aging, Disability &
Veterans Services Division,
the Homeless Mobile Intake
Team mobile relies on a diverse
group of caseworkers and other
staff — some who speak mul-
tiple languages and some who
have lived experience. The
team is the result of a partner-
ship between the Joint Office
of Homeless Services and the
Department of County Human
Services and is funded by the
Metro Supportive Housing Ser-
vices Measure.
They build relationships
with people, conducting assess-
ments, identifying benefits such
as food and medical support,
and also providing short-term
intensive housing case manage-
ment. To facilitate outreach, the
team has a scheduled rotation
to different shelters across the
county, the Multnomah County
Behavioral Health Center and
has a presence at cooling and
warming centers when activat-
ed. Referrals are also sent from
community partners.
The 2024 USAging Aging
Innovations & Achievement
Awards honored traditional and
new strategies in a range of cat-
egories, including advocacy;
agency operations; caregiving;
community planning and liv-
able communities; diversity,
equity and inclusion; economic
security; elder abuse preven-
tion; health–social care inte-
gration; healthy aging; home
and community-based services;
housing and homelessness; kin-
ship and grandfamily support;
nutrition; technology; social
engagement; transportation and
mobility; and workforce devel-
opment and volunteerism.
Continued from Front
parks. The organization supports
the role of parks in making cit-
ies more sustainable, equitable,
and vibrant. Based in Wash-
ington, DC, the Alliance works
with organizations involved in
the design, development, opera-
tion, programming, funding, and
stewardship of parks across the
US and globally. The Alliance’s
Board of Directors includes lead-
ers from these sectors.
Adena Long serves as the Di-
rector of Portland Parks & Recre-
ation, where she leads one of the
nation’s most comprehensive and
diverse park systems. Appointed
in February 2019, she oversees
154 developed parks, 8,000 acres
of natural areas, four million trees,
160 miles of trails, 12 communi-
ty and art centers, 11 indoor and
outdoor pools, six golf courses, 60
community gardens, a motor race-
way, the world’s smallest park,
and much more. Under her lead-
ership, the bureau employs near-
ly 3,000 staff in peak season and
operates with an annual budget of
$550 million.
Director Long has been instru-
mental in advancing recreation,
environmental
stewardship,
youth workforce development,
and community engagement. Her
tenure is marked by a commit-
ment to inclusivity, equity, and
accessibility, exemplified by the
successful passage and imple-
mentation of the Parks Local Op-
tion Levy in 2020, which secured
essential funding and is moving
Portland Parks & Recreation to-
ward a sustainable future.
Her career in public service be-
gan in New York City in 1997 as a
seasonal Urban Park Ranger. She
quickly rose through the ranks to
become the first woman of color
and youngest individual to serve
as Parks Borough Commissioner,
later holding roles as Assistant
Commissioner and Deputy Com-
missioner for Urban Park Service
and Public Programs.