Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare’s Street Outreach Team helps a community member experiencing homelessness. IMAGE: MARIO GALLUCCI

Cascadia’s Street Outreach Team makes a difference in the lives of Portlanders – individuals and families – experiencing homelessness by providing consistent and immediate response and support. The nonprofit’s outreach and response teams work directly with people experiencing homelessness (living and sleeping on streets, park benches, concrete steps, tents and vehicles) who have mental health challenges. The staff also work tirelessly across the City and in close partnership with emergency response systems to help people in crisis and to help those in need access health care and permanent supportive housing.

Once an individual or family is housed, Cascadia provides individually focused services around each client’s needs to help maintain their housing and avoid returning to homelessness. Oregon research and data show that the population of families with children experiencing homelessness is increasing and represents a growing number of the households Cascadia helps transition out of homelessness and into permanent housing.

Cascadia is Portland’s community health and housing nonprofit partner. Their services are built upon over 38 years of demonstrated experience delivering compassionate, quality care to Portlanders of all ages experiencing mental health and addiction challenges.
“It’s hard on the street. People are experiencing trauma daily and carry forward a lot of pain, loss and grief,” shares Liora who oversees Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare’s homeless services. She adds, “we provide compassionate care to help people transform their own lives, so they can begin to experience an improved quality of life.”

Liora, pictured above, oversees Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare’s homeless services. IMAGE: MARIO GALLUCCI

Cascadia’s street outreach and homeless services teams are fully mobile, highly-trained, and skilled in caring for our community’s most vulnerable members. The nonprofit provides a host of services around whole health care and affordable housing, including homeless services and outreach, permanent supportive housing, housing retention services, short-term rental assistance to prevent an eviction, coverage of rental screening fees and deposits, utility assistance, and help with basic necessities.

Housing is health care. It’s that basic. With a home, a person has the stability and security to heal and improve their health, away from the risks and trauma of living on the street. Cascadia’s services are based on the “Housing First” program model, which works to reduce and address the conditions associated with chronic homelessness.

Yet, for many people, housing is nearly unobtainable. They do not have the income or resources and our community’s affordable housing options are limited. The Portland metro area has among the highest levels of individuals experiencing homelessness in the nation.

For these reasons, Cascadia has made housing one of our priorities for providing whole health care services to clients. The organization is also focused on creating more affordable housing options as quickly as possible for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and collaborates with other agencies and affordable housing support services in the area.

Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare’s Street Outreach Team helps an individual experiencing homelessness. IMAGE: MARIO GALLUCCI

For Cascadia’s team members, the work they do is personal. They are caring for someone’s daughter, son, mother, father, sister, brother or friend. They are ordinary people helping those in our community overcome extraordinary challenges. But, they cannot do the work alone. They rely on the generosity and support of the community to help.

The support of the community has immediate impact to help Cascadia care for more individuals and families struggling with accessing and maintaining stable, affordable and permanent housing. To get involved, make a gift, or learn more about Cascadia’s goals for whole health services and affordable housing, click here.

Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare Upcoming Events:

• HEART: Heart, a new event illuminating that generates awareness of our shared goal to improve access to mental health care for all women while creating a circle of artists, storytellers, and supporters addressing issues of health, healing, and hope as they impact women’s lives.

Wednesday, February 7th at 6pm

The Evergreen PDX, 618 SE Alder St., Portland

Get your HEART tickets by clicking here

• A Culture of Caring Gala 2018: An annual benefit for Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare. Join us for Cascadia’s second annual Gala to support whole health services and affordable housing solutions in Portland.

April 5, 2018

Hosted at Peter Corvallis Productions Warehouse

For Sponsorships/tables and tickets, click here to reserve online