What We Do
Love, Portland does things differently.
We prevent homelessness by
addressing its root causes
The homelessness crisis is tearing communities apart nationwide, and the Portland region is among the hardest-hit areas. To effectively address this issue, we need to innovate. Not just how we allocate our resources, but how we view the issue altogether. To do this, we’ll have to expand how we discuss the pathway to stability—our community-wide plan for funding an end to the homelessness crisis.
Here’s how most people see the homelessness continuum of care:
Here’s how the homelessness continuum of care actually looks
Most of those working to address the homelessness crisis—including funders and service providers—focus primarily on housing people who are sleeping outside. Yet, how often do we stop to consider the root causes of why people are sleeping outside in the first place?
The truth is, homelessness is not simply an individual failure. It’s the result of numerous societal breakdowns that often happen long before most people see any crisis emerge.
Industry experts have identified a handful of these societal breakdowns:
Rather than focusing exclusively on the downstream effects of these breakdowns, we’ve modeled our strategies around addressing their root causes directly.
Together, we can create the social safety net our community needs. But it will take all of us.
We Distribute Funding Differently
After pooling resources from the community, Love, Portland provides grants to service-providers addressing the root causes of homelessness.
Along the way, we will educate the public about homelessness prevention while reimagining how those in the philanthropy sector can work with the broader public to create lasting change.
By harnessing the power of collective giving, we’re redistributing resources through expert-led decisions , fostering trust with grants that empower nonprofits , and redefining community itself along the way.
Our Process
Creating “The Net”
At the heart of Love, Portland is what we call “The Net,” a network of grantees working in each of our five funding focus areas. Love, Portland provides multi-year funding to this network, creating the social safety net our community urgently needs.
Traditionally, nonprofits focus on their respective cause areas which can limit collective impact. Additionally, in some aspects of the philanthropic sector, nonprofits are competing for a finite amount of financial resources.
“The Net” purposefully connects organizations across sectors, enabling our community to address the crisis more collaboratively, holistically, and with a focus on prevention.
More than just receiving multiyear, unrestricted funds, once established, “The Net” will simultaneously participate in two additional programs:
Strengthening
“The Net”
Love, Portland will provide the nonprofits in “The Net” with additional funds that can only be used on their staff—this includes staff retreats, continuing education, wellness days, bonuses, etc.
In this process, we aim to educate the public on the historically low wages in the nonprofit sector and help reverse high burnout rates
By broadening the public conversation around the traditionally low, stagnant wages in the nonprofit sector, we aim to reverse high burnout rates so their important work can progress without obstacles.
Expanding
“The Net”
To support urgent or unexpected challenges encountered by nonprofits, Love, Portland will distribute Rapid Response Grants—quick, flexible funding solutions—to nonprofits outside of “The Net” working within our funding focus areas.
These grants allow organizations to take immediate action without the bureaucratic delays that often bog down traditional funding processes.
Love, Portland uses participatory grantmaking to determine the recipients of Rapid Response Grants. Each month, the members of “The Net” will collectively choose one nonprofit outside of “The Net” to receive a grant. This offer will then be presented on a monthly basis to the broader Love, Portland community, inviting public crowdfunded support with a dollar match from Love, Portland.
At the end of each grant cycle, the members of “The Net” will choose the nonprofit that will succeed them in their respective focus areas, continuing the practice of participatory grantmaking. This redistributes power from the funders to the grantees, uplifting and centering the voices and experiences of those who are experts in their fields.
Love, Portland focuses on five funding areas that speak directly to the root causes of homelessness.
Supportive Housing Services
As of 2017, 40% of Americans reported being unable to come up with $400 in the event of an emergency, putting them at risk of homelessness. To address this—and avoid the high costs of rehousing families—we must preemptively assist those at greatest risk.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Oregon has the second-highest alcohol and drug addiction rates in the nation while ranking last in treatment options. By supporting substance use disorder treatment services, we can finally meet people where they’re at in their recovery journeys.
Domestic & Family Violence Services
The leading cause of homelessness for women and youth is the need to flee unsafe homes. To address this, we must proactively work to ensure that everyone is safe in their own homes—and with their families.
Foster Care Services
Around 40% of youth exiting the foster care system will experience homelessness by the age of 26. By focusing our efforts on those aging out of this system, we aim to prevent homelessness before it occurs.
Youth Mentorship
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are proven to increase the risk of experiencing homelessness later in life. 89.8% of adults experiencing homelessness experienced ACEs. To offset this risk factor, it’s proven that mentorship can help young people overcome ACE-related challenges.
By focusing our efforts on these five areas, we will renew and strengthen the social safety net in the Portland Metro Area—preventing homelessness before it occurs.
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