Events
As we learn of new events you may be interested in, we will try to keep you posted. If you have an event that would be appropriate for us to share please let us know.
Announcing
The 2017 OCHH Annual Conference
"The Opportunities of Our Changing Times:
Advocacy, Activism & Action"
September 27-29, 2017
We would like to invite you all to join us at our new venue.
The Hilton Eugene
Conference Updates
Call for Presenters
If you would like to be considered for a presentation/seminar at the upcoming OCHH conference, please complete the "2017 Call for Presenters" by clicking on the following link.
Presentation proposals are due no later than July 26, 2017.
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07eedj9l06j53066f4/start
2017 Keynote Speakers
Marc Dones, Associate Director of Equity Initiatives
Dones has worked in program and policy development for their entire career. Currently their work focuses on the development and integration of equity oriented policies and program procedures across a number of projects. In this role Marc focuses on identifying opportunities for addressing systemic health inequities through program and policy modification or development. Additionally, Dones works with a small team of C4 staff to provide training to over 300 provider agencies funded to work with individuals living with substance use disorders. Prior to joining C4 Dones served as a Program Manager in the MA Executive Office of Health and Human services where they assisted in the development and implementation of Governor Deval Patrick’s youth violence reduction program, the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative. The program, with a roughly $9.5 million annual operating budget was developed and implemented in 11 cities with site-specific responses. Mental health and substance use disorder support were key aspects of the program. Additionally, Marc served as the policy manager for the Massachusetts Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. In this capacity they advised the commission, authored its reports, and conducted research on numerous issues.
Paul Boden (Executive and Organizing Director, Western Regional Advocacy Project)
Paul became homeless at the age of 16. He began volunteering at a drop-in shelter in San Francisco in 1983, eventually becoming a program director there. He then worked as a case manager in a supportive hotel program for mentally ill people. Paul served as Executive Director of San Francisco’s Coalition on Homelessness for 16 years and was a founder of the Community Housing Partnership, a nationally recognized permanent housing corporation with optional supportive services. He served as president of its Board for 10 years. Paul was also a board member of the National Coalition for the Homeless and co-chair of its civil rights and grassroots organizing workgroup. He has received dozens of community awards during the last twenty-five years and recognition from the city and county of San Francisco, the State of California, and the Congress of the United States. Paul regularly writes articles and op-eds and travels throughout the country giving talks and trainings.
Dona Bolt, State Coordinator of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program at the Oregon Department of Education
Dona has been State Coordinator of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program at the Oregon Department of Education since 1987. In addition to grant program coordination, she provides training and technical assistance for school district staff and service providers on the educational rights of homeless families and youth, and how to facilitate their school attendance and success. Her role includes providing assistance for homeless parents and unaccompanied youths with to resolve disputes with schools and districts, as well as regional coordination with her counterparts in other Northwestern states.
For thirty years, Dona has organized and shared the data collected by this McKinney-Vento program, documenting the extent and ever-upward trend in the number of homeless families and unaccompanied youths in Oregon. The work involves networking and collaboration with government and non-profit agencies, including Head Start, child care programs, early intervention, runaway and homeless youth service providers, dropout prevention programs, Continuums of Care, Community Action agencies, shelters, housing, and health programs and many others.
Dona received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth (2001) and the Oregon Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (2013). An avid birder, she contributes regularly to the Cornell University eBird database. Dona and her husband Jeff are longtime residents of Salem, where they raise backyard chickens and a variety of house pets.
Kenny LaPoint, Assistant Director, Public Affairs for Oregon Housing and Community Services
Kenny has over 13 years of housing and community development experience. Prior to his service with the State of Oregon, Mr. LaPoint spent six years as the Housing and Resident Services Director for Housing Works, the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority. Mr. LaPoint also served for over three years as a Homeownership Counselor for NeighborImpact, Central Oregon’s Community Action Agency. Other prior service includes Co-Chair of Central Oregon’s Homeless Leadership Coalition (the region’s Continuum of Care); a member of the City of Bend’s Affordable Housing Committee, President of the Cascade Chapter of NAHRO (National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials), Neighborhood Partnership’s Board of Directors, member of the Community Advisory Council for Central Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organization and one of the founding members of Icon City, a Central Oregon non-profit organization.
Conference Sponsors
Red Diamond Sponsors
OCHH Welcomes Back & Sincerely Thanks Our Returning Sponsor
Diamond Sponsors
Alexandrite Sponsors
Seminars & Workshops
Julia McKenna, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
Transgender Access to Shelter: Best Practices, Training Resources, and hands-on learning with scenarios, Q&A, and interactive problem-solving in small groups
Transgender Access to Shelter: Best Practices, Training Resources, and hands-on learning with scenarios, Q&A, and interactive problem-solving in small groups. Come learn about transgender identities and best practices in a hands-on, inclusive environment. All that is required is for you to bring respect, a desire to learn, and the ability to assume good intentions of others. This session welcomes all learners and encourages everyone to "Be where they are at" in their understanding of transgender people. We will aim to cover a lot of content, and will build in flexibility and ample opportunity for interactive dialogue. Become familiar with transgender 101 terminology and identities. Identify assumptions, beliefs, and personal identities related to gender that we hold as individuals and as a culture. Work through transgender 201 scenarios and role-plays in small groups. Address real-world concerns and problem-solve as a small group and through Q&A with the larger group.
Ken Kraybill, Director of Training, t3
Facilitating Motivational Conversations
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person’s own commitment and motivation to change. This interactive session will provide a “taste” of the spirit, processes and skills of MI in talking with people about change.
Training Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
- Describe the relevance of MI in homeless services
- Explain the four processes that guide MI conversations
- Demonstrate the skills of reflective listening and open questions
Alison McIntosh & Jenny Lee, Housing Policy Director, Neighborhood Partnerships and the Oregon Housing Alliance
Legislative & Local Advocacy Training: Strategic communication to create housing opportunity
Communities all across Oregon are experiencing a housing crisis, and homelessness is increasing. Our cities, counties, and our state Legislature need to act to address the housing crisis by improving policies and dedicating resources to solve these problems. The Oregon Housing Alliance will be working in the Oregon Legislature in 2018 and 2019 with significant policy agendas to address the housing crisis. Come to this session to learn more about effective advocacy tools and strategies for your local city or county government, to learn more about what's being proposed to the Legislature in 2018 and beyond, and to learn how you can get involved!
Tamara Sale, Director of the EASA Center for Excellence at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health; Cara Sams, MA, LPC,Program Director for the Washington and Clackamas County Early Assessment and Support Alliance Programs (EASA) and the Clackamas County Transition Age Youth Program; Michael Haines, director of peer support services for EASA and the Young Adult Hub at PeaceHealth in Lane County.
Psychosis During Early Adulthood: Best Practices and Collaboration for Preventing Homelessness
Oregon's EASA program is the longest-standing statewide dissemination of evidence-based early psychosis intervention in the United States. Presenters will describe EASA goals and methods, the unique needs of young adults, particularly those with psychosis, collaborations with homelessness prevention entities, and opportunities for collaboration.
Erika Silver, Human Services Manager for Clackamas County. Erin Schwartz, Senior Policy Analyst for Clackamas County
Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparity: A Data Driven and Action Oriented Approach
Who’s finding your front door? Who’s getting served through your programs? Who’s not? Are outcomes
consistent across populations? What disparities exist? How can you address them? We will provide methodology to analyze data for racial and ethnic disparities, a case study and a range of action steps to address disparity.
Ken Kraybill, Director of Training, t3
Overview of Best Practices in Homeless Services
Understanding and implementing what we’ve learned from experience and research over the past decades is essential to effectively address the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness. This workshop will provide an overview of selected “person-centered, housing-focused, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, peer-integrated, self-compassionate” approaches that inform our work.
Training Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
- Identify the four elements of the mindset and heart-set of best practices
- Name and describe three best practices and their relevance in this work
Lisa DeSalvio, Director of Special Programs for the Coos Bay School District.; Melinda Torres, district homeless liaison and the ARK Project Manager.
The ARK Project: How building collaborative relationships produced a productive resource center that provides basic needs and self-sufficiency services to support homeless children and youth be successful in school and life.
The ARK project is a school and community based resource center for homeless youth and families. We will provide information on how the center is operated, the services we provide and the process of developing a model program since it can be duplicated in other areas.
Dona Bolt, State Coordinator, McKinney-Vento Homeless Education, Oregon Dept. of Education
School District Liaisons: Making Connections for Families and Unaccompanied Youths
The McKinney-Vento Act’s Education of Homeless Children & Youth Program requires all districts to have a trained Liaison to identify and assist families, children and youths to access and succeed in school. We will review the types of services available from districts, data trends, and opportunities for local collaboration.
Robin Davis, Joint Office of Homeless Services
Culturally-Responsive & Trauma-Informed Approaches to working with Domestic Violence survivors
This workshop will provide an overview of Domestic Violence and the unique challenges that survivors in marginalized communities experience in accessing safety.
Diane Hess is the Education & Outreach Director of Fair Housing Council of Oregon; Louise Dix, Education and Outreach Specialist for FHCO
Civil Rights in Housing and Shelters: Fundamentals and New Developments in Fair Housing Laws
Knowledge of fair housing laws, that protect civil rights in housing and shelters, is critical for homeless advocates and shelter providers. This seminar is packed with useful information, including historical context, a review of all relevant laws, and new legal developments.
• Global overview of the powerful hidden history of housing discrimination and the evolution of fair housing laws; • Tools for advocacy with homeless individuals/those at risk of becoming homeless. • Legal responsibilities of shelters and transitional housing programs under fair housing law
Dan Bryant, SquareOne Villages
Dream Big with Tiny Homes, Starting at SquareOne
The story of how SquareOne Villages was created out of the Occupy movement to provide a new model of shelter and how they became a developer of tiny homes for affordable housing.
Renee Yandel, HIV Alliance. Amanda McCluskey
Overdose Prevention & Harm Reduction: What can you do to save lives?
Opiate related overdose is a critical issue for everyone. In 2014, approximately 1.9 million Americans 12 years or older had opioid use disorder due to prescription drugs and nearly 600,000 due to heroin use. Harm Reduction strategies like the overdose reversal drug, naloxone, can save lives.
Lucille Oeder, LPN, Care Coordinator at Samaritan Internal Medicine; Jennifer Wilkens, RN, Care Coordinator at Samaritan Internal Medicine Clinic
Connecting the Dots: A Care Coordination Model for the Chronically Homeless
Data will be shared from a pilot project that placed two care coordinators and a health navigator in the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center, serving Corvallis-area men, women and families who are homeless or who were at risk of becoming homeless.
Julia McKenna, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
Innovative Approaches to Shelter Design and Building Technology: Seeing is Believing!
Addressing homelessness becomes overwhelming very quickly and many times the conversation becomes abstract and unmanageable. Come see a presentation of inspiring pictures and short videos of some of the most innovative approaches to shelter across the world. Get a new idea and brainstorm with others about new opportunities to work toward creative solutions to homelessness. Think outside the box and learn the leading innovations for responses to natural disasters and refugee crises to see how they might be relevant to addressing homelessness.
Ken Kraybill, Director of Training, t3
An Introduction to Critical Time Intervention
Critical Time Intervention (CTI) is time-limited approach to help people successfully make the transition from homelessness to housing and life in the community. In this session, we will examine the history, principles, key characteristics, and phases of the CTI approach. In addition, we will practice the basic skills of a CTI-focused conversation.
Training Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
- Explain how CTI differs from other support models
- Identify three principles of the CTI approach
- Describe the main focus of each of the three phases of CTI
Joshua Groesz, MS, The Salvation Army
Hooked on chaos: One Infantry soldier's story from the war in Iraq, withdrawing from it afterwards, and how he became the executive director of a transitional housing facility that supports over 60 veterans experiencing homelessness
Approximately 1,341 veterans in Oregon are homeless (HUD, 2016) and the Salvation Army's Veterans and Family Center (VFC) provides transitional housing to almost 5% of them. This workshop will cover the addictive nature of war, withdrawing from it afterwards, and how the Salvation Army is reducing the number of veterans being homeless. Attendees will gain insight to common triggers experienced by veterans and learn strategies the Salvation Army is implementing to help homeless veterans find permanent housing, increase their income, and increase their self-determination.
Jimmy Jones, Director of the Community Resource Program ("The ARCHES Project") at Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency
Coordinated Assessment and The Housing First Experience in Salem
In October of 2016, Marion and Polk Counties started the areas first Coordinated Entry program, with the goal of finding, assessing and generating data on the complete homeless population in our two counties. Prior to that date, we had very little statistical information on our homeless population. Since that time, we have assessed more than 1,000 households using national assessment tools, generating more than 100 data points per homeless household. In July of 2017, in collaboration with the Salem Housing Authority, we began referring clients to the Homeless Rental Assistance Program--a PSH program for the most vulnerable members of our community.
Tatiana Dierwechter, MSW, Health Policy and Prevention Manager for Benton County Health Department's Healthy Communities Program; Sara Hartstein, MPH,Senior Health Policy Specialist at Benton County Health Department; Shawn Collins, MS, Administrator of the Housing Opportunities Action Council (HAOC)
Using a Public Health Framework to Update a 10 Year Plan to Address Homelessness: Benton County's Experiences in Community Engagement and Cross-Sector Partnership Building
Access to safe, affordable housing is a major determinant of health for both individuals and whole communities. In 2016-17, the City of Corvallis, Benton County, and Samaritan Health Services funded the Benton County Health Department to facilitate, in coordination with the Housing Opportunities Action Council (HOAC), a 9 month community engagement and planning process to update the County's 10 Year Plan to Address Homelessness. This presentation will provide an overview of Benton County Health Department's (BCHD) experience using a "health in all policies(HiAP)approach" to engage community partners, grassroots leaders, policy makers, and persons experiencing housing instability and homelessness in updating and ensuring a robust community plan to end homelessness.This approach models how public health can play an important role in promoting a comprehensive, cross-sector,
systems approach to preventing homelessness and improving community health.
Jeanne-Marie Ritter, M.Ed./Ed.S., Luke-Dorf, Inc. Christina Graslie, B.A., Outreach Worker
Reaching Out Without Hesitation: Disrupting Pity, Bias, and Oppression in Homeless Street Outreach
Effective street outreach prevents harm to clients and workers alike, while respecting human dignity and meeting basic needs in a variety of settings. How can street outreach teams disrupt the dynamics of pity, bias, and oppression to provide valuable engagement to clients and community partners?
Pastor Mike Cross, Free on the Outside. An adult only church, Celebrate recovery, and housing provider; Rick German, Assoc. Pastor & Resource Specialist; Caedmon, Assoc. Pastor & Spiritual Director; Mike J, Housing Manager; Caryn F, Additional Housing Resources
Challenges of Housing and Social Re-Integration for People with a Sex Offense
Housing, support and accountability for people with a sex offense. Houselessness for people with a sex offense is an epidemic across the United States. Lack of social support and a safe place to find acceptance, grace or work many do not engage in treatment for rehab and accountability, but live in isolation as modern-day lepers.
Cari Debban, CRM, Recovery Center Director for Bay Area First Steps; Tasha Stafford, NCAC I, CADC I, CRM, Outreach Director for BAFS
Recovery Happens: Addressing homelessness, addiction, and mental health in rural Oregon
Learn the benefits of using peer delivered services to address homelessness, addiction, and mental health in rural communities. There will be a discussion about the coordinated assessment and intake process. Training topics include recovery mentor best practices, recognizing trauma associated with homelessness, encouraging prosocial behavior, with an emphasis on using a person-centered approach.
Paul Boden, Ex. Director, Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP); Monica Beemer, WRAP; Karissa Moden, Sisters of the Road
Without Housing Decades of Federal Housing Cutbacks & Massive Homelessness: A Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign Discussion
The Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign (HBRC) is a grassroots organizing campaign fighting to end the
criminalization of poor and homeless people’s existence led by the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP). Join us for a discussion of criminalization in your community and the HBRC!
Ken Kraybill, Director of Training, t3
Understanding Trauma and Trauma Informed Care
Using a trauma-informed approach is vital to providing effective services. This session will provide an overview of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual impact of trauma, principles and practices of a trauma-informed approach, and the difference between trauma-informed care and trauma-specific services.
Training Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Give three examples of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual impact of trauma
- Name two trauma-informed care principles
- Describe three ways to put a trauma-informed approach into practice
SPECIAL EVENT
Tiny Home Tour
This tour will take participants to Opportunity Village Eugene (OVE) and Emerald Village Eugene (EVE), two of the projects of SquareOne Villages. OVE is a transitional, self-governed program for 30 to 35 adults. It has served nearly 140 people since opening in 2014. OVE has 29 units, just 60 to 80 square feet each, plus common facilities, a bath house, laundry and an outdoor kitchen. The program operates on less than $50,000 annually, or about $5/night per person. EVE is a permanent housing project of 22 tiny homes, ranging from 160 to 288 square feet each. Residents will be paying $250 to $350/month, including all fees and utilities. Their payments also include $50 towards their equity in a share of the co-op that leases the facility from the non-profit, giving them an ownership stake in their home which will
be sold back to the non-profit if and when they move out. Each home includes a full bath and kitchenette. This $1.7 million project is a first in the nation of its type.
OCHH Annual Awards
Honors Given at OCHH Conference
This award is given to a homeless or formerly homeless person who has made a significant contribution to ending homelessness. This contribution can take the form of advocacy for the homeless, as a role model for other homeless people, or as a social service provider. The award is a testimony to the inspirational role that Beverly "Ma" Curtis played in the social movement to end homelessness.
2017 Winner -
This award is given to an individual who has shown excellence in providing services to alleviate the suffering of homeless men, women, and children.
2017 Winner -
This award is given to an organization that has shown excellence in providing services to alleviate the suffering of homeless men, women, and children
2017 Winner -
OCHH Lifetime Achievement Award
This special award is given to a person who has given outstanding service to Oregon's homeless and to ongoing support of OCHH and the OCHH conference
2017 -
Fair Housing Council of Oregon
Fair Housing Exhibit
Adobe Acrobat document [330.4 KB]
Fair Housing Poster Contest...new theme will be announced December 2016 (Click on Link for more details)
Thank you so much for visiting the Oregon Coalition on Housing and Homelessness website.
We hope you will come back again and see what our update crew has been up to!
Print 