Tag: housing

April 4 Panel Discussion on Mental and Behavioral Health, Housing and Homelessness

Zoom Webinar
April 4, 2023 from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Join us on April 4th when a panel of community leaders will discuss chronic homelessness as a public health issue. They will explain the consequences of not providing health care to people with mental illness or addiction, who have experienced trauma resulting from homelessness. They will also focus on the lack of shelters and beds and of extremely low-income housing.

Members of the public are invited to join us for this Zoom Webinar, by registering on or before April 3 at 8 pm.  To register, complete the short registration form here, or enter the following link in your browser: https://forms.gle/ooRW5NfePQkixxCZA. LWVpdx members do not need to register and will receive a Zoom link before the meeting.

The panel includes:

Rachael Duke, Executive Director of Community Partners for Affordable Housing, who will discuss the lack of low-barrier shelters, beds, and extremely low-income housing, which can result in people having a higher risk of ending up on the street.

Jill Kahnert, a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, retired from Central City Concern, who will cover the high prevalence of both mental illness and addiction for adults and youth.

Scott Kerman, Executive Director, Blanchet House, who will speak about how trauma, the mental health crisis, and self-medicating with dangerous substances impact people in our community, and the lack of resources and access.

Jason Renaud, LWVPDX League member, will be the panel’s moderator. Jason is the Voluntary Managing Director of the Mental Health Association of Portland.

FEBRUARY: From Houseless to Housing

The Pines, affordable housing in SE Portland -Photo by Human Solutions

Our February Civic Education event features speakers on how to address homelessness in the Portland area. Starting on February 12, you can view the recorded  panel discussion, From Houseless to Housing and Services, from our YouTube Channel. Or click here to view the recording of this compelling panel discussion.

About the invited panelists :
  • Marc Jolin, Executive Director of the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services. He leads an initiative, “A Home for Everyone,” which involves officials from Multnomah County, the City of Portland, the City of Gresham, business leaders, social services and other service groups that collaborate on finding new resources and strategies to end homelessness.
  • Andy Miller, Executive Director of Human Solutions, which builds, operates and supports families in permanent affordable housing. Before he joined Human Solutions in 2015, Miller was the Chief Operating Officer at Volunteers of America Oregon. Previously, he spent 13 years with the Portland Housing Bureau.
  • Jeff D. Riddle, Administrative Support Manager at Transition Projects.Transition Projects manages shelters and offers programs and resources to individuals through services including case workers, healthcare, mentorship, and housing. Jeff has served as a mentor, street outreach engagement specialist, residential advocate, client service specialist, case manager, shelter manager, and income development program manager. In 2018, he received the Beverly “Ma” Curtis Award, given to a formerly homeless person who has made a significant contribution to ending homelessness.
  • Rachel Solotaroff, MD, CEO and President of Central City Concern. Dr. Solotaroff, has worked with Central City Concern (CCC) since 2006. She became CCC’s Chief Medical Officer in 2014. During her time there, she has overseen alcohol and drug treatment, primary care and mental health care. CCC provides services to help people find housing and achieve self-sufficiency.

(Dr. Solotaroff was unable to participate, because of a last-minute unexpected complication. We hope to include her in a future event.)

Doreen Binder, League member and former Executive Director of Transition Projects, will moderate the program. For over 50 years, Transition Projects has helped people transition from homelessness and living on the streets to housing in Portland. It manages shelters and offers programs and resources to individuals through access to services including case workers, healthcare, mentorship and housing.

This panel discussion will focus on what is being done, as well as what is still needed, to serve homeless individuals and families.

MetroEast logoMetroEast Community Media will record the program for streaming from this website and for later broadcast on Comcast and Frontier public access cable channels.  Funding for the recording was provided by the Carol & Velma Saling Foundation.

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