East County churches respond to government plea for homeless help

Human Solutions says congregations offer to lend a hand

By Rob Cullivan

The Gresham Outlook, Jan 8, 2010, Updated Jan 8, 2010

Jim Clark / The Outlook

Father Chuck Zach of St. Henry Catholic Church speaks about local efforts to house metro-area homeless families.

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A number of East County churches have offered to help the social services agency Human Solutions tackle the homeless problem, in response to a plea from Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury and Portland Commissioner Nick Fish.

In late November, Kafoury and Fish wrote a letter to 239 Portland-area churches (and one synagogue), asking for their help in housing an unprecedented number of metro-area families with children who find themselves homeless this winter. The letter asked for assistance with the county-funded Daybreak Shelter program run by nonprofit Human Solutions.

Two weeks later, none of the religious institutions that had received the letter had responded. A Portland Tribune story, which also was published in The Outlook, noted this, generating both criticism and praise on The Outlook’s editorial pages.

The story took a positive turn this week when Kafoury and Human Solutions reported that at least 14 churches have called or written, willing to participate in the shelter program for homeless families. In addition, one church in Seaside has called, wanting to start a program for housing homeless families there.

Emergency shelters

Jean DeMaster, executive director of Human Solutions, noted the Gresham churches St. Henry Catholic and Rockwood Seventh-day Adventist both agreed to open their church buildings while it is especially cold outside this winter.

Father Chuck Zach, pastor of St. Henry, said Sara Wise, the church’s liturgy coordinator, has overseen the emergency program, which sheltered five people on the night of Thursday, Jan. 7.

“They’re very appreciative, the folks who come in,” he said, adding St. Henry parishioners also have volunteered at neighboring churches offering emergency shelter.

Other Gresham churches that have expressed interest in working with Human Solutions include Burnside Baptist and Springwater Church of the Nazarene, DeMaster said.

Daybreak

Meanwhile, the following East County churches already participate in the Daybreak Shelter Network — Gresham’s East County Church of Christ, Metro Church of Christ and Eastrose Fellowship Unitarian Universalist, Gresham United Methodist and Faith United Methodist of Troutdale.

Nine of the 29 participating churches each host homeless families in their church for a week at a time. On any night, one of these nine churches is hosting up to 15 homeless members of as many as five families.

The churches pick up the homeless families from the Human Solution’s Day Center on Southeast 127th Avenue in Portland and bring them to the church building.

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