The John Van Diest Chapel at our Burnside Shelter has been a Portland Rescue Mission classic for decades. Each day before breakfast and dinner are served, homeless guests walk in off the streets and have a seat in the chapel for a brief announcement and prayer before the meal. At night, we lay out mats…
Read MoreFor people in the Portland area, it is no mystery that there is a significant homeless population here. It’s a topic of much contention among Portlanders and the debate rages on as to how to best help these people in need. A recent article by KGW’s Evan Senoffsky points out the following statistics: The most…
Read MoreFamous Footwear stores across the Portland Metro area have been urging their customers the last several months to donate socks for homeless men and women in Portland. Knowing that fall and winter would arrive soon, they started early to ensure that they’d have a big stockpile for the massive need this season. Well, autumn is here…and…
Read MoreLast Thursday, Sysco and other volunteers took over our Burnside Shelter kitchen to serve our homeless guests a Meal to Remember that won’t soon be forgotten. About 500 homeless men and women were welcomed into the dining room where they were offered a seat and served a fresh, hot Thanksgiving-style dinner with ingredients from several…
Read MoreAfter three months living at the Burnside Shelter working in our Link ministry, Ron has now moved into independent housing! Several weeks ago, a handful of staff here at the Mission helped Ron pack up his belongings and move into the studio apartment he now calls home. Haven’t read Part I yet? Read it here.…
Read MoreEvery day, we serve hundreds of people at our Burnside Shelter location. Many come for a free meal, but just as many come for a bed, a shower, or a free pair of socks. Through donations given by the community and area businesses, we are able to provide for everyday needs with items such as…
Read MoreRon first moved to Portland in 2000, working a job loading and unloading furniture on and off trucks. He spent the next 13 years doing this, working for a truck driver friend. While at a truck stop in Troutdale, 61-year-old Ron slipped and fell out of the truck, severely breaking his ankle in four places.…
Read MoreThe Link guys are movin’ upstairs! That’s right, the third floor of our Burnside Shelter that has been under renovation this summer has officially opened, allowing the men in our work-exchange program to move from the bottom floor to the roomier, sunlit upstairs bedrooms. “It’s really nice. It’s beautiful up here,” says Eric, a…
Read MoreIn an effort to revitalize Portland’s Old Town Chinatown, the neighborhood’s community association called for volunteers to help landscape over a hundred tree wells and flowerbeds between Burnside and Glisan Street. “We’re trying to turn this neighborhood into something that everyone who lives here will enjoy, as well as people who come [to visit],” Association…
Read MoreWe are currently undergoing a massive renovation project at our Burnside Shelter! This overhaul will allow us to provide more much-needed space and services, such as a women’s program and more rooms for our Link residents to live in while they transition out of homelessness. The second floor of the facility will soon be home…
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