2023 Point in Time count reveals 4,857 unsheltered women across Oregon
Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of intimate partner violence.
Alana’s friends warned her when she moved from Salem to Portland with her boyfriend. The couple had been living with a friend who asked them to leave.
“It turned out everyone was right about the relationship,” Alana said. “He was not boyfriend material. He still lingers. Matter of fact, he burned my tent down three nights ago.”
Alana has now been homeless for eight years. Before her life took a turn, she worked as a manager with a land management company in Huntington Station, New York.
“I used to be a successful person but I lost myself,” Alana said. “I want to be a productive citizen. This life isn’t for me. It’s no one's fault but mine, but I lost myself to drugs and depression. When you lose stability and a home, it’s not just a home you lose. You lose yourself.”
The Point in Time count reveals 4,857 unsheltered women across Oregon in 2023 and 2,601 were reported as sheltered homeless. Low wages, the cost of housing and domestic violence lead many women, some with children, to poverty. Service providers and housing programs are scrambling to find support for them. Meanwhile, these women endure all the elements and risks that homelessness forces on them.
“It’s hard,” Alana said. “A lot of people take advantage of females out here.”
Liz Starke, the development director at Rose Haven day shelter and community center, sees an increasing number of women seeking help. The intersectionality of economics, society and violence are critical to understanding homelessness among women, Starke said. Societal structures play a part in women’s experiences with losing housing, finding housing or staying housed.
Domestic violence Multnomah County reports almost 28,000 women in Multnomah County (13.9%) were physically abused by their partners during the past year. 21,000 women were assaulted during the past year and 10,000 women were injured as a result of domestic violence.
Raphael House in Portland provides safety, counseling and a path forward for anyone leaving their abusers, and is staffed 24/7. It is gender inclusive but most who stay there identify as female. Amanda Ives, the development director at Raphael House, has worked with women there for over 12 years.
“Housing is a key goal we work on,” Ives said. “We have seen high rates of getting people into stable housing from Raphael House. Ongoing wraparound services keep them housed long-term. Rebuilding a life from scratch takes longer than the time in shelter. And healing from trauma.”
Ashley remembers her journey from leaving an abusive partner to finding stability. She left her abuser when she became pregnant in 2019 and stayed at the Gresham Women’s Shelter for a month. After that, she stayed at West Women’s and Children’s Shelter for almost a year. She joined a support group and found work. Her daughter is now four years old and Ashley is a domestic violence mentor at Raphael House.
“I cried when I got to West because I felt overwhelmingly safe and knew I would be okay,” Ashley said.
Multiple cycles needed to be broken before Ashley could stand on her own, like poverty, domestic violence and addiction.
“Domestic violence and homelessness can be intertwined,” Ashley said. “You stay in a violent situation or walk away with no resources because of financial abuse. Abusers will take a paycheck if they allow their partner to work and have everything in their own name, or in the survivor’s name and ruin their credit. This creates another stumbling block for someone if they try to leave.”
About 99% of domestic violence cases involve financial abuse according to the National Coalition of Domestic Violence. Without any other options, some women may be forced to return to an abusive partner to avoid becoming homeless with their children, when they would face new and unfamiliar dangers, Ives said.
Anyone can call the hotline to find Raphael House at 503-222-6222 and talk to an advocate about what they need to keep them safe.
In addition to Raphael House, Bradley Angle and West Women’s and Children’s Shelter provide emergency shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Casa Esperanza provides safe haven for Latina women and children in Clackamas County.
The Volunteers of America Home Free Domestic Violence Services program and YWCA of Greater Portland offer survivor support.
“Need does far exceed the number of beds available in our community, and domestic violence shelters in the area are nearly always full year-round,” Ives said.
There is help on the way from the Biden-Harris administration, starting on July 1, 2024. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care program has awarded a grant of $60,295,011 to Oregon. This money is allocated to programs for people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Most of this funding will be used to continue projects from previous years, with the exception of $783,888 for an expansion project through the Multnomah County Domestic Violence Supportive Housing Combined program. This new funding will provide housing for 24 survivor households with a focus population of survivors of sex trafficking, increased mental health services for survivors across the entire program, and increased funding for costs related to the Violence Against Women Act, according to Julia Comnes, Joint Office of Homeless Services communications coordinator.
The Domestic Violence Housing Combined funding goes 100% to community providers including Bradley Angle, El Programa Hispano Católico, Raphael House, Volunteers of America, and YWCA of Greater Portland, Comnes said.
Low wages and women as caregivers With pay inequities, it can be challenging for women to support themselves. Add to this the responsibilities of parenting and providing for others.
The wage gap is a problem in the United States, as reported in the National Strategy on Equity and Equality published by the Biden administration. In 2020, women earned 83 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women of color were paid even less. Black women earned 64 cents, Latinas earned 57 cents. Asian women earned similarly low wages compared to white men and in 2019 Native women earned 60 cents for every dollar earned by white men.
“Regardless of what job you have, if you’re a woman and you have a child, childcare is a huge part of your budget,” Starke said.
In order to keep working and provide for others, childcare is a necessity. However, the cost can be prohibitive. Women are also more likely to take care of aging parents or family members with disabilities.
Women can spend as much as 50% more time caring for their family members than men, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.
These responsibilities add to household expenses. Resources like food stamps are essential, but they don’t cover baby items like wipes and diapers. They also don’t cover hygiene supplies for women.
Subsidized child care and preschool increase the chance that mothers keep working so they can afford to pay for food, housing and other expenses.
The New York Times reported in 2021 that wealthy countries contribute an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler’s care, compared with $500 in the U.S. This is changing gradually in Oregon since Multnomah County voters passed the Preschool for All Personal Income Tax in 2020 . Households with an income over $200,000 pay a tax to fund the measure.
“Preschool for All (PFA) connects 3- and 4-year-olds in Multnomah County to free, culturally responsive, inclusive preschool experiences,” according to Multnomah County.
Preschool for All began with over 700 preschool seats available for the 2022-23 year. The program will grow over time, increasing the number of providers and families, until there will be publicly funded preschool available to all interested families in 2030.
Resources and human connection “I’m 50 years old now,” Alana said. “I’m too old for this. I’m tired. I’m canning for money. I’m on my own. I’m tired of struggling. I’m tired of being outside. I just reapplied for shelter. I desperately want to go back inside. I want to get in touch with Home Forward and also the housing list for Multnomah County.”
Alana frequently goes to Rose Haven, which offers food, clothing donations and showers. Providers like Rose Haven turn into first responders in a crisis, Starke said. They have a mental health team now and a clinic on site.
“We do not have the infrastructure to meet the basic needs of our citizens but it's an emergency out there every single day,” Starke said.
Many people in need call 211info. This is a way to find out about available resources. Kelly Wheeler, the director of housing, fields many calls.
“We are go-to information and referral for social services, a 24/7 call center for special service programs related to housing, childcare, partnerships with SNAP and food programs,” Wheeler said. They do not provide direct services but are the connectors to information about who to call.
There are just a few shelters in Multnomah County for those who are female-identified only. Gresham Women’s Shelter has 90 beds and Jean’s Place for women, with 60 beds, is run by Transition Projects. Catholic Charities of Oregon runs the Kenton Women's Village, an alternative village-style shelter in NE Portland with 15 sleeping pods. The Chestnut Tree Inn Motel Shelter opened 60 beds during COVID-19 with physical distancing for women, nonbinary and genderqueer people, operated by Our Just Future.
Families can stay at Lilac Meadows, Rockwood Community Development Corporation, Bybee Lakes and Path Home Family Village. Community of Hope in N. Portland serves single parents with children and has capacity for eight families.
Brandi Tuck is the executive director of Path Home. She has access to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) in her work with finding homes and services for families. She is concerned about the limited number of shelters.
“There are 300 families on the waitlist for family shelters in Multnomah County,” Tuck said. “There are 800 families on the waitlist for rapid re-housing.”
Rapid re-housing provides short-term rental assistance for people in need. By connecting them with housing, they can address other challenges like employment or domestic violence and have a better chance of remaining housed.
“We need to create an environment where people are encouraged to have community and have support groups and that's how you change people's lives,” Tuck said.
Providers agree that like food, shelter, clothing and health care, community is essential for women experiencing poverty. Connection with peers or helpers can make the difference between persevering or giving up hope. Within Portland is a network of nonprofits helping individuals who identify as women.
“I would never in my life have spoken to most of the people out here on the streets,” Alana said. “But now that I’m in those shoes a lot of those people are the best people you’ll meet on the planet because they’ve already hit rock bottom so they know what it’s like. And it turns out they’re some of the most amazing people ever, that will give you the shirt off their back, food if you need it. They’re very wonderful people that somehow slipped through the cracks. That part changed me in a good way.”
Social isolation makes it difficult to thrive, work and raise children. Many women who become housed continue to join others for coffee, activities and socializing at Rose Haven, making it easier to remain housed.
In December, Rahab's Sisters celebrated 20 years serving homeless people in Portland. Rahab’s Sisters provides a clothing closet, hygiene supplies and Friday night dinners.
“Our mission is creating community through radical hospitality,” Rahab's Sisters program manager Kaylyn Berry said. “This is a judgment-free place. People come as they are and find community with one another; a basic human right like food and what is needed in order to thrive.”
This piece is a big factor for women living outside, Berry said. When people camp near each other they can gather supplies, protect each other and intervene if needed. There is ongoing violence for women living outside and many are dealing with intimate partner violence. Encampment sweeps can interrupt such large, stable communities.
TaMara Edens is the director of social programs for FolkTime. Since the '80s, FolkTime has provided a built-in network of peer support for people with mental health struggles and addiction.
“There’s lots of data out there showing how effective peer support is in changing lives,” Edens said. “In relation to our program, finding hope is important and that comes from finding people who have found a way out of homelessness… For people who found a stable environment, some attributed it to finding a community and self-empowerment.”
Service providers often rely on each other for support in helping others. On a large scale, the National Women’s Shelter Network assists service providers for women, uplifting the work they do and giving them opportunities to gather (such as their inaugural conference in September) and share ideas. Their mission is to empower women and children experiencing homelessness.
Not enough All in all, there is a shortage of shelters and long-term affordable housing. Safety is an ongoing issue.
Whether sheltered or unsheltered, 94% of homeless women experience sexual or physical assault, Tuck said.
Reverend Sara Fischer is a street priest in East Portland. She has seen these numbers play out in her frontline work, along with other dangers.
“I think homeless women of any race and any gender identity are the most vulnerable people in our society,” Fischer said. “Programs like Rahab’s Sisters and Rose Haven that provide hospitality and community and support are vital. I long for there to be widespread intervention and disruption of the violence and abuse that happens to women every day on all of our streets.”
International Women’s Day Throughout the world, there are women who struggle with poverty and economic inequality. It takes determination to carry on despite poor living conditions, especially while caring for others.
There are many ways to become involved with the efforts of the organizations in your community — many of which have been mentioned here — whether by volunteering, donating or attending events and staying educated. For instance, this week Rose Haven will be celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8 with live music, snacks, a hosted bar and a short program. RSVP at rosehaven.org.
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