Meet Jeanne, a dedicated JOIN Volunteer!

Jeanne agreed to share her experience of organizing JOIN's monthly Book Club!  The Book Club is a welcoming place for our folks to come and connect over coffee and pastries.  It's been a wonderful opportunity for people to share conversation not just about books, but to build community together.

About 4 years ago I started to come to the house at JOIN to knit, just knit. I had heard Paul Schroeder give a homily at my church about the power of presence, the power of asking someone who is experiencing homelessness their name, the power of relationship. That morning after Paul spoke I asked myself what I liked to do, and the answer was knit, so that is what I decided to do at JOIN.

When I started I suppose I had more of a "Portlandia" vision of what I would be doing there: I could teach a bunch of folks to knit and they could open Etsy Shops! They could earn money through the power of crafting! 

What actually happened as I sat at the table at JOIN, with my friend Denise who was already an accomplished crocheter, and I talked to people. Because I was knitting it was clear I wasn't going anywhere, and I had great and weird and interesting conversations with all sorts of folks.

It has been a while since I have been to JOIN to knit, although I do have a monthly book group with some folks that I really love. At some point I asked myself again, what do I like to do, and the answer was to read. And again, I had some grander notions of what I thought our book group would look like: We'll read "A Tale of Two Cities" and discuss the classics! 

But that was too much like school for all of us. So now we might once a month and eat pastries and discuss the books we are currently reading, which usually no one else has read, and we laugh and share stories about our lives. 

I have learned and gained so much through these relationships and friendships, and I cherish them all.

A Reason to Celebrate Despite the Crisis

By Colleen Sinsky

You can’t tell in the picture, but we had all just wiped away happy tears and those smiles continued long after we were done posing for the camera.

Last week, the Edwards family got the keys to their brand new, ADA-accessible three bedroom unit at Home Forward’s Stephen’s Creek Crossing property. We filled out the application on a whim several months ago, not banking a whole lot of hope that they would actually be chosen. I can’t emphasize how huge this is for a family that has subsisted on social security disability and sporadic income from short-term jobs.  When I met them in the winter of 2011, they were sleeping in their car.  With our support and their own income, they moved into an older, non-accessible 2 bedroom in a high-crime, but affordable part of Gresham.  It was better than being homeless, we all agreed.

So now they are set.  Literally. They have a subsidized unit for as long as they want to stay, in a safe neighborhood, with many on-site amenities and a great school district.  The kids have their own rooms and Linda can do things like use the kitchen sink and an enabled-shower which she’s never had access to before.  We were all teary-eyed as we toured the place for the first time and Richard and Linda shared a long hug, full of relief at finally having made it.

(I just realized I’ve been unintentionally following this family on the blog. You can check out older posts about their journey here, here and here.)

Here’s the thing though: attaining this kind of housing stability should not be that rare.  As a housing caseworker for the past 3.5 years you’d think that I get to see this type of success more often.  Unfortunately, because of the massive shortage of subsidized or even affordable housing that that is not the case. 

In contrast, I also work with a single mom, Sandy, whom JOIN helped off the streets and into a modest, two bedroom apartment in Gresham for her and her two young boys.  Rent is $750, utilities another $200, and though she receives about $400 a month in TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), plus food stamps and child care support, every month is challenge.  Sandy is one of the hardest working people I’ve met, and has submitted more applications, worked more night jobs, and taken the bus at 4am to be at work more rainy mornings than anyone should.  In several months of trying, she still hasn’t been able to secure a job that will cover her family’s expenses and continually requires occasionally rental assistance from JOIN or a family member.  She and her boys are living in a constant state of stress, unsure whether they’ll be able to make rent next month. With no disposable income and few outside resources, life after homelessness continues to be a struggle.  Sandy put herself on waitlists for site-based Section 8 in 2010 and started out at number 320.  She is now number 92- meaning that it could still potentially be years before her name comes up.

To write this, I wanted to find out what the current waitlist was for the Stephens Creek Property and reached a recorded message informing me that ALL waitlists to ALL public housing units are closed due to over capacity.  This isn’t a surprising fact, unfortunately.  It was big news when the waitlist for a Section 8 voucher lottery opened for ten days in 2012, for the first time since 2006.  Tens of thousands of Oregonians who struggle to pay rent have their name optimistically on these waitlists, though they are well aware of their slim odds at being chosen.  Many lists have estimated wait times of 10+ years, though a few do have better estimates, like 2 years.  All of these units are subsidized, allowing residents to pay 30% of their income, whether they are on social security, zero-income, or working a low wage job.  The other 70% of market value rent is supplemented by federal grants, funded by the department of Housing and Urban Development and managed locally. 

I don't know what the answer is.  The system worked for the Edwards family, but not for Sandy and her family.  Affordable housing is an idealistic and often unattainable goal for many, and the growing income disparity in the US continues to marginalize a large portion of the population.

I cannot emphasize how thrilled I am for the Edwards family getting into one of the beautiful units at Stephens Creek Crossing.  But like Sandy and her family, I am still well aware of the millions of homeless and unstably housed Americans that our current system isn't serving.

"Tears are okay- they help the pain come out."

By Colleen Sinsky

When I first met Susan, she was living in a tent with her pitbull on an undeveloped butte in East County.  Without opening her tent door, she yelled at me and Outreach Worker Quinn to please go away.  We obliged immediately and hiked back through the nearly invisible trail we’d taken to get there, pausing to leave a business card with Quinn’s cell number scrawled on the back.

That was over three years ago, and since then we have had the pleasure of getting to know Susan, her family and her wonderful pitbull “Speck."  Susan has been in housing, struggling to pay rent on her meager social security check.  While she is a more confident, secure and happy person than she was while homeless, achieving housing was not (and rarely is) the end of the battle.  Susan continues to experience both high and low points, and I’m honored to have gotten to walk beside her on her path.

Sometimes our “relationships first” model means that we are visiting our folks in the hospital or hospice (and occasionally the only one to do so).  It’s difficult, of course.  But I can think of few things more important than being a non-judgemental, caring presence at someone’s bedside when they would otherwise be alone.

So when we heard that Susan had suffered a massive stroke and was hospitalized, I went over to visit.  She looked so tiny, curled up in her tiny bed, but came alive when she recognized me and we shared a long hug.  Susan has since reconnected with her family, so I’m happy to report that I’m not her only visitor, and she has balloons and stuffed animals and love notes around her room, and is due to go home next week.

Susan’s life story isn’t mine to share, but believe me that it has been rough.  She exemplifies the importance of communities offering holistic, trauma-informed services.  Susan asked me to share her story, in the hope that even one person might reconsider using drugs like she did.

“I didn’t know how to ask for help and I didn’t want to be ridiculed, so I self-medicated.  I started drinking.  You can’t think you’re doing better just because it feels better- the wound is still there.  I used heroin and then I tried meth to get rid of the heroin and that worked for a while, but underneath, the wound was still there.  You have to learn how to deal with the pain and not just hide it with a band-aid.   Tears are okay- they help the pain come out of you.  Drugs can have a lasting effect you don’t know about, for years sometimes.  Like me having Hepatitis C or this stroke.  At the end, the person you’ve hurt the most is yourself, but you also hurt people around you when they are wanting to help you and you don’t accept it.  Lately I’ve been okay with accepting help, but it’s hard. I really want to go all out for Thanksgiving dinner this year.  It might be my last one and I really need to make everything count now!  I want to help the whole world, and I know the best way I can do that is by sharing my story.”

Daily Ups and Downs

By Colleen Sinsky

Apologies for the lack of blog posts for a while!  I’ve noticed how easy it is at JOIN to get sucked into the day to day chaos without stepping back to reflect (and blog!) about the experience.  And lately I’ve been putting energy into posting pictures and mini-stories onto our Facebook page.

I was struck today by what types of things determine whether I’m having a good or rough day at work.  In this constantly changing environment those variables can be thousands of types of events - evictions, benefits denied, benefits approved, babies born, cancer diagnosis, furniture, a trip to the pumpkin patch, a great conversation, domestic violence… the list is endless.  It’s life.  And because we are lovingly entrenched in the lives of so many of our folks we’re alongside for years’ worth of these events.

This morning I was thrilled by two awesome things that happened to two of my folks and shocked and saddened by a third.  

The sad news was one of my families deeply affected by a recent homicide in Gresham.  It was one of those barely-newsworthy shootings that is all too common in the poverty stricken areas of East County.  Please join me in sending your thoughts or prayers towards the victim's family.

Fortunately there will always be wonderful, beautiful things happening in the world that remind us why we keep doing this.  Today I got the amazing news I’ve been waiting for for months that one of my families was approved by HomeForward and will be moving into a brand new low-income housing project set to open this winter.  (I’ll try to remember to pester them with a camera and do a blog post on their big move in day.)  This will be the first time they’ve had an actual ADA-accessible apartment, and enough bedrooms for both kids and their parents.  Needless to say, we are all absolutely thrilled!

Also today I visited a housed friend of mine, Mike.  “Shanghai Mike” was a street legend for 14 years, riding freight trains cross country a number of times and drinking more whiskey than you’d think was humanely possible.  He’ll occasionally tell me a story from his days on the streets that I won’t repeat here, but they absolutely blow me away.  Mike and I realized that we both have ancestors from Cork County, Ireland which is a fun connection we joke about often.  He's been in housing for a few years and is grateful that he didn't die out there. Mike called me today to tell me the great news that a random Good Samaritan had seen him struggling with his manual wheelchair and had given him, for free, a new electric wheelchair.  “It’s absolutely life changing!  Like night and day.  I can get on and off the bus like a pro, and going down the store now is no big deal.  It’s awesome!”

We Are The Safety Net

By Colleen Sinsky

Every day at JOIN, we encounter hundreds of examples of why the safety net is so hugely important to Portland residents who are too often overlooked.  Here’s a story of just one of those times when having flexible financial resources had an immediate, long-lasting impact on a hard working family in need.

Last night I went to the Portland Timbers game with a formerly homeless JOIN family on some generously donated tickets (thanks Timbers!)  It was awesome, and the happy seven-year- old and nine-year-old I got to sit with thought so too.  I should mention that these kids aren’t starving- they’d both had a hot dog before this conversation happened, and they are honestly some of the most well-taken-care of kids I’ve met in my life.  When the cotton candy vendor came around, the younger one knew better than to ask her dad for some and instead whispered to me, “Dad says we can’t buy stuff because we have to spend all our money on the electricity so we can turn the lights back on.”

It was hard to hear one of my favorite kiddos say that.   I leaned over to their dad and asked if it’s true that their electricity was off.  He quietly confirmed, yes- it’s been off for two days and the reason why his wife hadn’t joined us for the game as planned was because they hadn’t been able to charge her electric wheelchair.  

I asked him to come in to JOIN the next morning- his day off from work.  Today he and I sat down to go over their PGE bill and our funding options and I was able to deliver the good news that we were able to pay their entire past due amount!  One phone call later and the family’s electricity was turned back on remotely.

It’s hard to convey how happy I am when we’re able to provide support in a situation like that, but unfortunately there are many stories that don’t end as well.  Because of this family and so many others, I support the Portland Safety Net!

Brenda Can Buy A Bra!

By Colleen Sinsky

Doing this work effectively involves pouring your soul in and riding alongside our folks through their highs and lows.  In the harsh world of homelessness and housing advocacy, the “lows” unfortunately tend to be common and severe (for example... the majority of these blog posts).  So it is such an amazing gift when I really get to genuinely celebrate with my folks.  This week a very long-time JOIN friend, Brenda was finally awarded social security after years of being too disabled to work.  Brenda spent her entire adult life doing the most labor-intensive jobs and is constantly talking proudly about her work in construction, the military, fighting wildland fires and commercial fishing.  Unfortunately, the social security system is a difficult one to navigate and it’s not uncommon at all for deserving applicants like Brenda to face denial after denial with long wait periods and lots of paperwork in between.  Fortunately, JOIN has some amazing community partners like the BEST team, BAC and the law offices of George Wall who heroically advocate for our folks to receive their benefits and help build a strong case.

In Brenda’s case, we referred her to George Wall after she received her first two denials from social security.  At that point, the case goes to a social security disability hearing and a lawyer has to get involved to organize records and advocate effectively through the system.  During this time (which takes many years) folks are generally living on zero-income.  Occasionally, as in Brenda’s case, we’d managed to get her on one of a very few “Shelter Plus Care” vouchers whose funding supports an apartment, utilities, a basic cell phone and “Honored Citizen” monthly bus pass.  She received some small monthly allotment in food stamps, and occasionally went canning to pay for prescriptions.  We took her to all kinds of medical appointments, often having to help her down the stairs and into the car.  Through all of this, Brenda was always so amazingly upbeat and hilarious.. one of few apartments I love to visit and hang out to chat way more often than is probably necessary.

So given this history, we were unbelievably happy last week when, in her appeal hearing the judge awarded Brenda social security, plus a couple thousand dollars in back pay (money awarded based on when an applicant who was initially denied first submitted their application).  For someone so conditioned to living on zero-income, this is huge beyond words.  As we walked out of the federal building downtown, crybaby me was laughing through happy tears and hugging Brenda and trying to simultaneously text her super longtime JOIN worker, Emily, the good news. Brenda was so ready for another denial that she was still in disbelief that she’d finally been awarded her deserved benefits.  

The next afternoon, Brenda and I talked again.  Now that she’d had a day to think about it she’d come up with a modest list of what she wanted to spend her money on.  Legally, recipients of social security can’t have assets in excess of $2,000 in their account, so there’s this bizarre “spend down” that has to happen once someone receives back pay to get their account balance lower or else their monthly payments will stop.  (The econ major in me hates how one-time irresponsible spending is incentivized, but that’s for another post.)  Anyways, Brenda’s list included purchases like taking her dog to the vet, visiting her out of state family, getting a new TV, and replacing the only bra that she’s had for a decade.  Something about that triggered a lot of the wordless pride and indignation I feel for our folks for whom basic human necessities are beyond financial reach, and seeing Brenda finally able to overcome those limitations and gain confidence as a woman was utterly amazing.

$698 a month isn’t much to live on.. especially once ⅓ is taken out for rent, and more for utilities, but even a modest amount like that is amazingly empowering for someone who’s had nothing for so long.  In the future, Brenda is going to have to be very disciplined to stretch that amount to cover expenses, but right now I’m preferring to celebrate this victory with her.

To Do Lists

By Colleen Sinsky

A friend of mine recently asked me, “so what exactly do you DO at work?”  She knows that I have this unique title, “Retention Worker” and that I do something related to housing advocacy at an organization that sounds like an acronym, but what exactly does that translate to in real life tasks at work?    

Here’s some real snippits from my ongoing weekly ‘to do’ lists.  I quickly learned to give up having a strict daily agenda at this job in favor of a set of 'goals to accomplish this week.’
(names changed)


-Can we pay Karen’s past due to PGE?
-Call Frank. Landscaping job? Financial aid?
-Invite Ken, Larry & Deb to Japanese Garden event.
-Did Turner family disappear?  Go visit.
-Food boxes to Jim K., Alicia, Randy and Doug.
-Rochelle needs couch, two twin beds, kitchen table, dresser (if available), kitchen stuff, bookshelf, microwave.
-Jamie needs ride to Mt Hood Hospital early Tuesday am.
-get Robin in touch with HealthConnect to figure out insurance
-introduce JOIN intern to Jenny for friendly visiting.
-Hospital records & psych eval docs for Steve. Call Aging & Disability asap.
-Make referral for George to social security advocacy lawyer.
-Help Kaitlyn get restraining order. go to Gateway Center together Monday am.
-Kyle’s kids want that donated fish tank stuff!
-Check in with Mark K.
-Take Julio to submit rental applications asap!-Gabe’s ID: need address proof, Social Security printout, order birth certificate online, ask Safety Net to print check to DMV.
-Give Rob’s kid my old Pokemon cards.
-Talk to Michelle’s landlord re: bedbugs
-Franco’s wake and memorial tonight at 6pm.
-Do Shelter Plus Care voucher renewal paperwork with Hank.
-are Lisa’s kids engaged with Morrison Child & Family Services yet?
-Stop by to meet new folks in Doug Fir Apartments
-DiAndre's birthday lunch on Wed at Burgerville!
-Bus tickets to William for job search-Talk to BEST team about kids applying for social security disability
-pick up donation of baby stuff from Rockwood Adventist on Saturday
-find free lunch for seniors in Gresham.


...and obviously the list goes on and on and on.  The more important things that I think we all do every day that I didn’t capture at all in this list are the more intangible listening, validating, and problem solving with our folks who are dealing with insurmountable-seeming obstacles.  While it feels great to successfully cross tangible tasks off of my to do list, so rarely are the most impactful and empowering aspects of what we do at JOIN captured in lists and reported data.

Stranger In The Night

By Colleen Sinsky


At times I can’t decide if the ability to draw a strict delineation between “work” and “life” is an ability I would want to have.  At the risk of this being a “TMI” post, Friday night for me was a glaring example of how the work I’ve done at JOIN has had a major influence on me, whether or not it’s during work hours.  I was walking down my street laughing with a roommate, on our way home from a bar sometime in the am hours.  I don’t think it was raining, but it was cold enough that I was walking fast, looking forward to a space heater and a down comforter.  Passing some trendy brunch spot, we walked past an older woman kneeling next to a full shopping cart who was literally praying the Our Father out loud, oblivious to pedestrians.

The contrast between our lives in that moment hit me in the gut like an avalanche of every emotion that I prefer to keep buried.  I burst into tears a few steps later feeling these waves of guilt, hopelessness and rampant injustice.  I think that when I’m at JOIN, or out visiting my folks I’m operating in a mental mode conditioned to experience this type of scene, but something about seeing something this intimate, this heartbreaking, on my street broke down some walls that I’d put up without realizing it.

At home, my roommate (who is an Outreach Worker at a wonderful organization similar to JOIN called HomePlate) and I shared a conversation about our role as service providers in the midst of overwhelming need.  I realized that I’m not jaded or experienced enough to be able to walk by something like that without having an emotional reaction, and I don’t think that I would ever aspire to be able to turn off that reaction.  I’m realizing that I’ve internalized enough vicarious trauma that sometimes seeing heartbreaking tragedies like the shootings in Clackamas and Sandy Hook  Elementary in conjunction with the daily tragedy of homelessness can be almost too much. My role in all of this can feel so insignificant and at times like these it’s easy to feel powerless and pessimistic.

I don’t think I’ll ever have an answer to these big heavy questions from a macro perspective, but the truth is that my role in the world is in a much smaller reality. Zooming in to a more manageable and realistic view- my Portland community, the long and disorganized list of “My Folks” at JOIN, and strangers in need who I happen to meet- the oppression of large-scale pessimism lifts.  I’m reminded of that parable about throwing the starfish back out to sea, which I always thought was so corny.  My reality as a service provider though is that I’m granted some freedom by my limitations.  I do have the ability to make a huge positive difference in the lives of some people, and that’s what I’m going to have to focus on.

Feeling renewed, I went downstairs and got one of the donated sleeping bags I have in my basement and went back outside, without a clear goal but hoping to at least wish her a good night.  But by the time I got back there she’d moved along into the night.  Oh well. Back at home, my roommate pointed out that what actually matters is the fact that I had cared enough to go back outside and try.  He’s probably right- perhaps it is just having that willingness to risk reaching out that will help foster a brighter world.

Am I Lucky or What?

By Colleen Sinsky

One recent evening I got to take two of my favorite kiddos from JOIN out to try MY favorite hobby.. climbing!  They had so much fun, and made it to the top over and over again, even after declaring they were too afraid of heights to even try it.  They gym employees and I were impressed at how they didn't want to quit climbing even after three hours at it!  We all had a great time, and I feel so lucky to get to share my passion in this informal, fun way.  :)

You might recognize these kids from last year's Christmas blog post, and I'm happy to report that this wonderful family is still doing really well in housing and looking forward to this year's holiday season!

A Humbling Experience

by Charlie Theuma, JOIN Board Member

My son Brian (13) and I spent Monday night until 10:30 p.m. going around town with Quinn and seeing what it was like dealing with the homeless in Portland.


Quinn is an amazing individual who shows the utmost respect to people, has a sincere interest in people's problems and is always searching for a solution to whatever challenge is faced.

It was humbling to see what a little effort and time can produce. Both Brian and I see the world just a little differently.

We went to so many places downtown, too many to mention. The van was equipped with blankets, tarps and a few sleeping bags as an opening to conversation.

We visited a group of homeless people who had camped out in a specific block and had to inform them that the Police would be doing a sweep in the morning and they had to find another place to call home. Instead of leaving it at that, Quinn inquired as to where they planned on going, if they needed anything and arranged to offer transportation assistance in the morning so that the challenge wouldn't be so difficult. What Quinn received in return was respect and a big thank you.

Brian and I helped two 15 year old kids on the street and provided them with sleeping bags, blankets and a few tarps. Almost broke my heart seeing them trying to sleep in the doorway of a business building knowing that they were only 2 years older than my son.

For all the times that life seems tough, for the variety of requests we get asked as a Board member, I would like to tell you that it is worth every ounce of energy we give and every dollar we provide.

My wife Amy helped organize an event at US Bank that provided us with about 4,000 pairs of socks. Those socks allowed the staff to help our homeless friends for almost a year. It was a simple request of employees to bring new socks with them to a scheduled event that US Bank was executing and telling employees a little bit about JOIN.

Never did I think that basic things like a blanket, socks or tarps can make the difference in a life. Trust me it does.

What I will take away from that evening is that people are nice people. Not once did we encounter anyone who was rude or unappreciative. The homeless have their challenges, but don't use that as an excuse, they just try to survive the best way they can and appreciate any help along the way.

Thanksgiving and Christmas is a time where people realize that it's the giving time. My son and I saw first hand what blankets, socks, sleeping bags, books and tarps can do to change someone's life.
Whether we are organizing a giving page, talking to friends for financial support or asking friends to look in their closets for blankets or books, it all does wonders to many who we never get to know.

Thanks for allowing me a few moments to share.

Hope for Housing Assistance

By Colleen Sinsky

To tell you the truth, when doing this kind of work against homelessness, I usually find it easier to keep my nose to the grindstone and maintain a pretty “zoomed-in” perspective of the housing crisis.  As an individual, I can see positive, tangible results with the individuals I’m working with that day.  If someone needs a ride to urgent care, a supportive presence during an operation, and a chocolate shake afterwards, it’s easy to do that.  Easy to do the manual labor required to move a load of furniture into a once empty apartment or organize a community bbq and kickball party. 

What’s harder for me is trying to wrap my head around the endless need and limited resources on the state or national level.  Daily tasks might be difficult, frustrating or even heartbreaking- but never overwhelmingly hopeless.  Earlier this week I read an article on the Huffington Post called "Sheltering America’s Children".  According to writer Barbara Sard and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of desperately poor households, who live on $2 per person per day or less has increased 130% since 1996.  I’m absolutely floored that this statistic is true in the United States, and that that level of extreme poverty is the daily reality for 1,500,000 households. Even more shocking is that just one in five of these households is receiving housing assistance due to limited funding. 

The demand for housing assistance is so high that families in the District of Columbia now applying for Section 8 assistance are put on a twenty year waitlist.  You read that right.  A twenty year waitlist for housing would be a joke if it wasn’t so tragic.  And Multnomah County isn’t any better.  Instead of a ridiculously long waitlist like DC, our Section 8 waitlist was closed years and years ago.  When it was last opened in 2006 nearly 10,000 applications were received in the two-week window.  The good news is that the waitlist is opening again for ten days beginning November 1^st.  Obviously this is a big deal for everyone at JOIN, and we’re all gearing up to submit applications with a huge portion of the folks we work with who are struggling with high market rent rates. 

Even when demand far outstrips available assistance, at least there’s a glimmer of hope when your name is one of tens of thousands on a lottery-style waitlist.

The Power of Relationships

By Colleen Sinsky

A few nights ago, Quinn and I attended an event that really brought home the importance of our relationship-based model.  A woman who we’ve both worked with, whom Quinn has known for over six years just celebrated her one year of sobriety.  “Melissa” had used hard drugs since she was a young teenager and is one of the toughest, most-street savvy survivors I’ve met.  Her story of addiction is powerful and heartbreaking, and now difficult to imagine having once been the reality of the smiling, confident woman who spoke before a large audience last week.  

It’s an incredible honor to get to be present to Melissa’s struggle and triumph.  Sharing an authentic relationship that spans years is such a wonderfully honest and effective way of bridging divides between people.  We’ve gotten to play a supportive role in more than just a snapshot of someone’s life and instead be present throughout an evolving transformation.  It’s difficult to convey the joy and pride that Quinn and I feel walking alongside Melissa, and how fortunate we are to be part of hers, and so many other individuals’ lives. Thank you Melissa!!


Check out my blog post from 9 months ago where I wrote about what it was like to clean out Melissa's old apartment and together shut the door on her old lifestyle.

Write Around Portland Empowers Angie

By Colleen Sinsky

“From all that I learned from abuse, I was told I was ugly, I was slow, I was being controlled, my self-esteem went down and down. I started feeling all those negative things so I walked around with no teeth in my mouth, not because I wanted to but because of being penniless. But I have no shame because I’m worth more than a penny. If I lived those negative words then I have lived them, but I learned I’m much more than that.”
© 2012 Angela McGee & Write Around Portland

When I knocked on Angie’s door for a visit this afternoon I was happily surprised to see her absolutely beaming, brimming with good news to share.  After enduring a lifetime of physical and verbal abuse, Angie is usually soft-spoken and subdued.  She’s an incredibly resilient woman who has had the courage to leave negative relationships and advocate for herself and her four children.  Her family has only recently moved to Portland and in the past several months have worked hard to create a safe and positive environment to start over together. She is working with JOIN's newest Outreach Worker (Ledena), and JOIN's newest Retention Worker (yours truly).  Today, Angie felt on top of the world.

Angie has also been engaged with a really wonderful local organization, Write Around Portland, which empowers participants through creative writing workshops that foster community, personal growth and healing through expression and group engagement.  Write Around Portland has been a community partner of JOIN, and I’ve been repeatedly blown away by the wonderful writing that our folks who have gone through workshops have shared with me.  Just as important are the stories that participants share with me about being part of a community, having a caring and engaged audience and having a safe forum to express and work through past issues of trauma.

My friend Angie is currently Write Around Portland’s featured writer.  In my car this afternoon, we used my cell phone to navigate to their website, where Angie’s photo, published story and interview are prominently displayed.  I (of course) was teary-eyed with pride and getting to see Angie so happy.  She told me how nerve-wracking it was getting up to read her story “In My Shoes” at Write Around’s anthology release reading.  The audience gave her a standing ovation and several people approached her afterwards to thank her and tell her how her story had moved them.  “I could feel healing!” Angie said.  “One lady was even crying.  I want my writing to be able to have that effect on people.”

JOINing the Team

By: Jamal Glover

Where do I even begin? Honestly, this is my first blog ever and the first of many that Sydney Linden is forcing me to write (joking). So please bare with me because I don't know where to begin. I'm the newest kid on the block here at JOIN and I began my one year internship as an outreach assistant through the United Church of Christ July 3. I am now going on my second month here at JOIN and it is safe to say that I'm finally settled into my new role as Lio's outreach assistant, I mean as the outreach assistant. I really appreciate all of the staff support I have had so far, its been very helpful because here at JOIN their is no such thing as a training so I had to be very attentive when I was job shadowing the previous outreach assistant. I'm glad that Colleen Sinsky was a lot of help with the "training" process, if she weren't any kind of help then I would have written this whole blog post about Colleen. I would like to share a few stories I already have from my short time being here but until I am able to gather my thoughts (I filled in for Lio for a week and just now becoming sane again), those stories will be shared in the future blogs to come. I would be embarrassed if this were my intro blog (actually it is) so we'll just call it a snippet.

"Homeless Soccer Mom"

By Colleen Sinsky

A family I’ve worked with for a while has struggled for years to maintain housing and keep steady work.  They have two beautiful, chatty daughters ages four and seven, both of whom run up to me yelling “Colleen!!” and wanting to be picked up whenever they see me in the office or recognize me driving a JOIN truck around their apartment building, doing a move for someone else.  These two little ladies are amazing, and a huge reminder to me of the many smaller victims of unstable housing and homelessness.

Recently, this family lost the apartment where they had been living for several months and the four of them are living in a minivan, parked inconspicuously at various shopping mall parking lots throughout Portland.  It’s incredibly difficult for me to think about the girls having to sleep in a van, and living with the stress the comes along with such an unstable living situation.  Fortunately, the parents are very dedicated to making life work out for their daughters and are trying hard to maintain some normalcy and get back on track in housing.  

While telling me about their minivan living situation, their mom laughed that now she’s a “homeless soccer mom!”  Tomorrow we’re going to put in applications at a few two-bedroom apartments, and hoping that they’ll be inside by next week.  I’ll post an update here soon!

Happy 20th Birthday JOIN!!

By Colleen Sinsky


Last Friday JOIN celebrated our 20th Birthday.  We threw an open-invite party at Westminster Presbyterian Church and got to spend the evening laughing, chatting, reflecting on the past twenty years and drinking delicious kombucha gifted by Townshends and Italian soda.  Cheerity Floral Design donated some beautiful flower arrangements. A huge spread of food was prepared by our graduates of the Cusina cooking class, and we honored several people who have been instrumental in JOIN’s success.  The Inspirators received the Community Engagement Award, longtime volunteer Judy Nawrocki received the Hope and Friendship Award, and Sharlene Rivers, the social worker serving Portland’s homeless community out of St Francis for decades, received the Kathleen Blake Award.

JOIN has been so fortunate to have been surrounded by such dynamic and dedicated people.  Our organization never could have had such a successful twenty years without the endless support of volunteers and community partners, a fantastic board, and “JOIN Lifers” on staff.  There was a point in the timeline presentation about JOIN’s history that I got teary-eyed, realizing that I’m capable of caring so much about an organization.  I’m inspired every day by the people we serve, and by my coworkers who have worked relentlessly for social justice on the streets of Portland.  I’m excited to see where JOIN goes in the future, and know that we’re coming from a strong foundation that will carry us through the next twenty years and beyond.  Happy Birthday JOIN!

Some photos from the archives of JOIN...

"Domicile Unknown"

By Colleen Sinsky


Last week a 2011 Multnomah County report called “Domicile Unknown” was published, bringing to light for the first time the number of deaths in the county among people experiencing homelessness.  I recommend reading the actual report, which includes methods, detailed data, and, importantly- recommendations for avoiding the number of deaths in Portland’s unhoused community that City Commissioner Nick Fish called “shameful.”  Forty-seven men and women died in 2011 who were most likely homeless.  This represents just a small portion of people who passed away without housing as the report does not capture those who were receiving any kind of medical care or were in a hospital.

Of the 47, only 11 died of natural causes.  The remainder were the victims of preventable accidents, substance overdose, homicide and suicide.  The average age was just 45.3, well below the average life expectancy of Oregonians of 81.3.  

Like JOIN, Street Roots is entrenched alongside our houseless friends, and the SR community successfully lobbied for the report that would capture the statistics of deaths more accurately to better inform future policy and honor those who died “domicile unknown.”  We are fortunate to know these folks as mothers, brothers, dog-lovers, musicians, gardeners... individuals who have been pushed or have wandered to the margins of society but should never lose their dignity as a human.

What disturbs me most is that the causes of death indicate not just a moment, but a lifetime of struggle.  Nearly half were the result of intoxication and another four were suicides.  Dying on the streets of an affluent society is the last degradation in a series of events that have left individuals alone, desperate and hopeless.  The deaths of these individuals goes unnoticed, but even more disturbing is that their lives often go unnoticed by mainstream society as well.  No report could capture the alienation and depression felt by those struggling on the margins.  

What we as service providers experience every day indicates the growing need for permanent supportive and affordable housing, access to drug and alcohol treatment and an environment that promotes the well-being of each member of the community.  No one should die alone on the streets, and it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the statistics from this report become a thing of the past.

Happy Friday!

By Colleen Sinsky

Just sharing a cute picture of Outreach Worker Liz, on a new family's move-in day!  Have a great weekend!

Broken Bootstraps

By Colleen Sinsky

Acknowledging generational poverty isn't popular in America, where we emphasize the ‘can-do’ independent, rugged individualism that liberated our forefathers from the British and Manifest Destiny-ed our way across the Great Plains. We love “rags to riches” stories that tell us that anyone who puts in enough effort can climb up the economic ladder.

The sad reality is that 20% of children in Oregon live in families that earn below the federal poverty line, and of these families, over half have at least one working parent, according to a study by the National Center for Children in Poverty. And, ironically for a nation that so strongly believes in an individual’s ability to be upwardly mobile, the US has the second-highest correlation between parent-child income levels across generations. For a more detailed look at intergenerational mobility in the US, check out this 2006 paper for the Center for American Progress.

Today I talked on the phone to one of our families who just gave birth the other day to a baby who was immediately put on detoxification for the methadone treatment his mother is on. I should let the reader know that multiple agencies and a hospital social worker are involved, and the baby is healthy, the parents are loving and they will all be out of the hospital soon. But what a way to start life. The parents have pretty limited resources and are staying in a temporary hotel situation. We’re working on them getting into a more stable apartment. It’s hard for me not to project forward the life this child statistically may end up living. Yes, it’s possible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, but sometimes the odds seem depressingly weighted against people.

Funding Woes

By Colleen Sinsky

This will not be a political post. But I need to express somewhere how much I wish that more people in our community could be involved in the implementation of how public money is allocated. It’s often easy to report statistics of success, and talk about the number of clients served. What’s more difficult to track and therefore often overlooked is the number of times our House staff has to tell people that we aren’t able to help them. I want more people to experience having to sit at my desk in the center of downstairs JOIN and become an unwitting fly on the wall, hearing conversations between Outreach workers and our folks-our friends sleeping outside every night who don’t make it into the data reports because we don’t have the funding to bother filling out an intake form. I want those people who walk into JOIN with hope and are turned away empty-handed to be acknowledged. I want to apologize to each of them, on behalf of the funding limitations above both of us, and send them off with more than just a vague recommendation to try another local agency that I know doesn’t have resources either.

It’s easier to write a blog post on something like moving a family off the streets, but I think it’s also important to paint a realistic picture of our limitations as a social service agency. It’s not just JOIN obviously- organizations across the board are strapped for funding. We’re kept afloat, and are able to stay in the fight because of the motivated individuals who run organizations focused on social or ecological justice. I’m amazed every day by the resiliency of people who have dedicated their careers, and often lives, to working an underpaid niche job, knowing that the funding of their program is often arbitrary and beyond their control. I hate that these difficult budget conversations have to happen every day in our office. And that the end result of budget cuts is having to tell someone with zero income that we can no longer support their Honored Citizen bus pass check- often their only link to resources and their community.

José, one of our Retention Workers supports the Portland Safety Net.