We offer this list of ways to help homeless women, in Portland, during the pandemic.
Annual Fundraiser cancelled, still raised $150kbymothersday
Mother’s Day has always been a special day at Rose Haven, hosting our annual Reigning Roses Walk. This event usually brings together more than 600 Rose Haven supporters and guests to walk a 5K for Rose Haven, and is our biggest fundraiser. This year we had to cancel the event, but the community still showed up for us, virtually that is at makeitreign.org!
We did it! Thank you to everyone who helped us raise #150kbymothersday for #reigningroses2020!
We are at $155.2K and counting! 100% of Reigning Roses funds will support life sustaining services for houseless women, children and gender-diverse people during the pandemic. We know that coronavirus outbreak will have lasting economic effects, and more women than ever before will rely on Rose Haven to meet basic needs and connect with community. This is just the beginning.
We are so blown away and grateful for everyone’s support during this difficult time. We know many of our donors are struggling too, and to see you all come through and post your #reigningroses2020 pictures and videos felt like we were together on Mother’s Day. Each one of us is overwhelmed when we think about how we can make the word a better place, but together we always make it happen.
No matter what the world throws at us we only get stronger. Every time we feel like the world is falling apart, the universe slaps us back into place, the phone starts ringing and someone else wants to help. Rose Haven is a constant reminder that people are good. It can be overwhelming to think of the constantly growing need, how will we ever keep pace?! But every year we somehow do it, every year the community steps up to meet the need. Everybody just does what they can, and somehow it works out. No one person a change the world, but together we can! Rose Haven is a community, and each of your are a critical part of that. Thank you.
Watch the Virtual Walk Video Produced by our Youth Outreach Board
In the past few months, Oregon Harbor of Hope, with support from donors including OCF’s Oregon Community Recovery Fund, has distributed thousands of tents, sleeping bags, and face masks around the Portland Metro region. Its mobile shower and laundry trucks offer a rare opportunity for people experiencing homelessness to access hygiene services through the pandemic. And they’re working on longer-term solutions, too.
In the same collaborative vein that Homer Williams witnessed in San Antonio, Harbor of Hope partners with dozens of other service providers in the region and readily shares procured resources. Tents and sleeping bags are dropped off at Portland Rescue Mission, Rose Haven, Street Roots, and even as far away as the Troutdale Police Department. Surgical grade masks are given to area hospitals, while the non-surgical masks are distributed at campsites and to people working for nonprofit organizations. Homer believes in supporting other organizations engaged in work around homelessness. “There are so many good people on the front lines. The quality of people who work in this space—you just can’t believe it,” Homer recounted, quickly adding praise for his own team including co-founder Don Mazziotti, Lisa Marandas, Marissa Cade, Matt Bordonaro and Susan Gadotti. “This is a team effort.”
COVID has delivered a fierce economic blow, and it’s reflected in the increasing need. “We are seeing different faces at the trucks and in the food lines,” Homer said. “Some of these are people who have never been in a food line in their lives.”
People of color, already disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity, have also been harder hit both economically and by the health impacts of COVID. “We have a structural issue, and we need to address it. Everybody deserves a safe place to sleep, they deserve hygiene, healthcare, and food—those are the basics of life,” Homer said.
Read the full article here: https://oregoncf.org/community-impact/community-stories/hygiene-and-housing-how-oregon-harbor-of-hope-is-bridging-the-gap-through-the-pandemic/
Adjusting to Meet Emergent Needs
If there is one thing that Rose Haven has mastered, it is the ability to adapt. This has never been more evident than during this current COVID-19 epidemic. As the days became weeks and the weeks are becoming months, we have continued to learn how to better, and more relevantly, serve in this new climate. No two days are alike, and each day we have the opportunity to talk directly with women and families who are chronically or newly homeless. We hear first-hand what challenges they are facing, and we navigate these unchartered waters with them.
As a result of these conversations and our observations, Rose Haven made the decision to revise its annual budget in April, allocating 54% more funds to direct services. As an emergency triage center in midst of a global pandemic, we are of the mindset, if not now, when?
Rose Haven is proud to be offering more:
• Hotel Vouchers – providing safety for women and families fleeing domestic violence which is amplified during the “shelter in place” order
• Rental Assistance – doubling our rental support program to keep people in housing
• Utilities Support – keeping the lights on and water running for families living in poverty
• Storage Unit Assistance – helping people who have lost their housing not lose all their belongings as well
• Education and employment support – providing uniforms, food handlers cards, online education to those able to work or continue their education
• Medical Emergency Support – helping refill prescriptions to keep people on vital medications and supplying guests with needed first aid supplies
• Prepaid Phones – providing temporary phones for people in crisis
• Sustenance – doubling our investment in nutritious breakfast and lunches
• Outdoor Supplies – acquiring more tents, tarps, and sleeping bags to make people as comfortable as possible while enduring this time outside
The outpouring of love from you and others in our Rose Haven community have given us the confidence to do this. We know you are with us, and will stay with us as long as it takes to care for our guests. Thank you for your trust in us. With each passing day, we are thankful to serve.
With gratitude,
Katie O’Brien, Executive Director
COVID-19 UPDATE
Rose Haven Friends,
Together we are navigating a challenging time in our community and in our world. As with most social service agencies, this coronavirus pandemic has led to a lack of human and in-kind resources for Rose Haven at a time when demand is high and will inevitably be growing.
There are serious concerns about the lack of shelter beds available, and this problem will get worse before it gets better. Overnight shelters for those without a home are even more scarce right now. Existing shelters are not accepting any new people, and are trying to distance those who are already there. In addition, we anticipate the number of people experiencing housing, food insecurity and trauma to escalate as the economic toll of this public health crisis evolves.
Rose Haven is heavily reliant on volunteer support, and for understandable reasons this has nearly evaporated for us. Additionally, we are having trouble providing adequate space within our tiny shelter for social distancing. We know it is in our communities’ best interest to temporarily alter Rose Haven’s service model to protect the health of our guests, volunteers and staff.
The good news is that Rose Haven will be continuing to offer services. Our hours of operation will be 9-11am and 1-3pm Monday through Friday until further notice.
Services will include:
At the door support – including nutritious food, water, emergency clothing, diapers, wipes, hygiene products, mail service, pet food and other needed items
Bathrooms and hand washing sink usage inside
Outdoor supplies including tents, tarps, sleeping bags (as supplies last)
Additional direct service allocations for rental and utility assistance
Love…’cause everyone can use more of this right now!
For those of you in a position to support our women, children and gender diverse guests, help can be provided by:
Ordering needed supplies from our Amazon Wish List to support those with no alternatives but to live outside
Making a financial donation to provide rental assistance and utilities support to people at risk of losing their homes
Please note: We are not accepting donations of general clothing, children’s clothing and household items through March in order to focus on high priority needs.
Although we are facing some great obstacles, I feel honored to serve alongside a truly selfless staff at Rose Haven who are prioritizing this mission work. And, as an agency completely reliant on community to exist, I am in awe of the kindness and generosity of people like you during a time when everything feels so fragile. Together we are stronger.
Thank you with all my heart,
Katie O’Brien
Executive Director
Rose Haven Community,
Near the end of February, the Rose Haven staff determined that over the next month we were going to prioritize getting organized at the shelter – cleaning out old files, organizing office spaces, majorly revamping our in-kind donations area, etc. We deemed it “March Madness”. Little did we know that “March Madness” would take on an entirely different meaning. In true Rose Haven fashion our staff, volunteers and supporters shifted gears and rose to this new and unforeseen challenge.
During March, Rose Haven provided life-saving support to 503 women and children, who collectively visited 1,478 times. We distributed hundreds of sleeping bags, tarps and tents. We provided comprehensive hygiene kits with hand sanitizer and other essentials. We kept our bathrooms open, cleaned and constantly sanitized. We provided mail services and charged cell phones. We served thousands of hot, nutritious meals that provided nourishment to body and soul. We did this with a handful of volunteers and a tiny, yet determined, staff.
As we enter April, we anticipate continuing to pivot as needed. It is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. While acknowledgement of this will inevitably be buried amongst all the COVID-19 media, let us recognize “Shelter in Place” can be very dangerous for those living in abusive households. Suicide hotlines are fielding 51% more calls, and compared to the same time period from last year, domestic violence arrests are up 27%. Violence is escalating, and women and families are more trapped than ever. Just yesterday I answered the door after hours to someone fleeing abuse. After spending an hour exhausting all the domestic violence resource options available (to no avail), I was able to find one open mat at a co-ed shelter way across town. I felt lucky to find her respite for the night…but that is the extent of how long it would last. The next day she will have no options again. The work continues.
The Rose Haven community is always there for people in their greatest time of need. Now is no exception. It is beyond crushing to have no viable indoor options for people experiencing extreme trauma in this COVID-19 moment. And to provide much needed advocacy and comfort from a distance of 6 feet feels so unnatural, so unlike Rose Haven. But safety is essential, so from 6 feet we remind our guests of their value, at a time when they are greatly questioning this. While we are unable to physically wrap our arms around people, we are embracing them with words of encouragement and hope from the Rose Haven community. We remind them they are loved by us and all of you. Your compassion for them is confirmed with every box of supplies we receive, every donation we get online, every phone call asking what more you can do. We know you feel at a distance from us, yet we feel your embrace.
Between the devastatingly hard conversations, we are finding moments of laughter, community and gratitude. Thank you for allowing us to continue this work. Rose Haven does not exist without you.
Katie O’Brien, Executive Director
Rose Haven is closely monitoring developments with the coronavirus (COVID-19). The health and safety of our guests, volunteers, staff and community is of the utmost importance to us. While we don’t want to be alarmists, we do want to be prepared. On an ongoing basis, Rose Haven will review recommendations from our local and state Health Departments as well as the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
We recognize that this emerging outbreak may be especially difficult for people who are unhoused, as they often have underlying medical conditions, and sometimes have substance and mental health issues that can complicate their ability to protect themselves.
We will provide additional general illness precautions and education onsite, and continue to maintain vigilant disease prevention practices, including the cleaning of our shelter with hospital grade cleaning products on a daily basis.
In the event that someone in the Rose Haven community exhibits signs of illness we will work with our onsite nurses, community partners and hospitals to ensure they are examined in a timely manner, and take any onsite precautions necessary to ensure our facility is safe for continued service.
Here are CDC’s recommendations to prevent the spread of contagious respiratory illnesses, including the coronavirus and flu:
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Put used tissues directly in a wastebasket.
- Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you do not have a tissue.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available—dispensers located in the hallway and activity areas.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people and if you are sick, stay home to recover.
Conversations about how to deal with a possible outbreak will be ongoing, and Rose Haven will be diligent in ensuring that we have correct plans and systems in place if the coronavirus were to spread to the homeless community. We are grateful for the support of our board members from Legacy Health and Providence Health Systems who have access to infectious disease experts during this important time. In addition we are sharing best practices amongst social service agencies in the area.
As always, we are asking volunteers who are under the weather to please stay home and take themselves. We will continue to reach out to volunteers to keep you all informed. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to ask questions.
Sincerely,
Katie O’Brien
Executive Director
A Message from Our Board President
On behalf of the Rose Haven Board of Directors, I am delighted to announce the selection of Katie O’Brien as our new Executive Director.
Katie has been serving as the Interim Director for the last 6 months and has been a part of Rose Haven for over 10 years as a Development Consultant, and more recently as Deputy Director.
In those 10 years Rose Haven has grown from a newly formed 501c3 to a vibrant agency realizing a 379% growth in demand for services. With a budget approaching $1m, the board is confident Katie is poised to transport Rose Haven through this next stage of growth.
She is experienced in managing the day to day while securing financial resources, expanding partnerships and elevating the community profile. Her management experience and creative vision allow her to lead a talented and passionate staff committed to the mission of serving our most vulnerable.
As Katie profoundly surmises:
“After 10 years with Rose Haven, I continue to feel excited to come here each day and support this important mission. I greatly admire the resiliency of our guests, dedication of our huge volunteers corps, unyielding support from our grassroots donor base, and compassion of our exceptional staff. To work alongside such smart, passionate and energetic people is an honor.
Oregon has the 2nd highest rate of homelessness in the country. We must continue to expand services and programs to meet the escalating needs of the chronically homeless community we serve. As the only full service daytime shelter serving women, children and gender diverse people in Portland, we have our work cut out for us. Together we are destined to do great things to better serve people in our community who deserve healthier and happier lives.”
Kathy Kelly
Board President
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