For families with young children and people with certain health conditions, most traditional congregate shelters just aren't an option. Children typically aren't allowed in for safety reasons, and congregate shelters amplify the risks of catching an illness for people who may be immunocompromised.

Just Compassion helps secure temporary hotel stays for people who can't use traditional congregate shelter so that they aren't literally houseless on the streets. However, an average reservation for one week in a hotel costs $600. It's not an exaggeration to say:

We can't afford to do this alone.

The number of households who need hotel shelter - including families with young children, people who are immunocompromised, and people who have mental or behavioral health concerns that create barriers to using congregate shelter - outnumbers our resources. We need our community's support to make sure people have access to safe shelter in all its forms. Without it, we are faced with the impossible task of telling people they have to find their own place to sleep, even if it leaves them exposed to the elements.

In the last month alone, we've had to make these kinds of decisions based on our financial resources.

For example, an individual in our safe parking program suffered a major medical emergency in January.

It left them hospitalized for around a week. When they were discharged, they faced several more weeks until their recovery would make living out of their vehicle feasible again. The hospital provided a motel voucher, but it only lasted a few days. The individual struggles with congregate shelter, and the severity of the crisis would make them much more susceptible to common illnesses. Staying in a hotel was the best option for them to complete this first phase of recovery.

With limited funds available to cover hotel fees, our team had to consider the possibility of telling our client "No, we cannot help extend your hotel stay." It was obviously necessary. But this person was not the only one who needed our help.

At the same time, a father and his children were working with one of our case managers. Because the father typically worked night shifts, and most shelters have a curfew for the latest time a guest can enter - in addition to a mandatory time a guest must leave - it was even harder to locate a shelter. There are a limited number of family-specific shelters and houseless service providers with flexible stay schedules in the Portland metro, and fewer within Washington County.

We had to assess whether we could afford to provide safe shelter for both households without a high risk that we would have to suddenly cut off support for one or both.

And it's not a rare conversation in our office.

Most recently, a young Oregonian couple with an 11-month-old baby asked us for help finding shelter. They lost their housing, and at the time of writing in mid-February, there are no available spaces for them with a family-specific provider. General shelters just aren't equipped for a baby. Understandably, the family doesn't want to be split up, but that's the only other option - besides staying outside - until family-dedicated beds open.

A temporary hotel shelter will give them time to connect with relevant services while reducing anxiety around the health and safety of their young child in this cold, wet weather.

No one expects to become unhoused. Our community has the power to create paths forward for our neighbors who become directly impacted by the housing and cost of living crises.

How can you help?

Donate today. When many people donate a little bit of money, it adds up. With $86, Just Compassion can cover one night in a hotel. Even if the next 10 people who read this can only give $5, that adds up to nearly 60% of that night's cost. That helps larger donations go farther, too. One $20 donation brings the total raised for a single night to $70. It's not the whole amount, but it means our team only needs to find $16 of allowed dollars from other sources.

Share this fundraiser. Just Compassion is a local nonprofit. That means we rely on the people of Washington County to help make our mission known. Even if it's not feasible for you to donate, you can raise awareness within your network!

Reach out. If you want to get involved, but you're not sure how to do so, let us know your schedule and some of the skills you bring. Even if it's only once a year, we'll help you find an activity that works with your schedule and skillset.

Since our inception in 2010, the mission of Just Compassion has been to provide a community-centered response to address the needs of unhoused and marginalized individuals. We achieve this by building relationships and striving towards a sense of wholeness. Our slogan “Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Known” is not only a guiding principle in our efforts to tackle the houselessness crisis but is deeply embedded in our company culture. Our objective is to understand issues by evaluating needs, actively listening to community voices, and turning those insights into action.

Cover photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

Secure safe shelter for families and people with serious health conditions

By Just Compassion of East Washington County

Secure safe shelter for families and people with serious health conditions

Let's create a path forward for our neighbors!