We’ve all been there before. You pull up to a red light and ease to a stop. You look out the window and there is a person holding a cardboard sign asking for help. It happens all the time in a variety of places: freeway ramps, outside grocery stores, sometimes just on the sidewalk as you…
Read MoreMichael knows what it feels like to be homeless. After all, he spent the last five years of his life on the streets. He’s fought to survive. He’s tossed and turned in a wet sleeping bag, worrying where his next meal will come from. But just a few months ago, Michael’s entire life changed when he…
Read MoreWe need volunteers! During the summer, our volunteer numbers typically go down even though the need for services remains high. To help operations run smoothly, we’re looking for relational, compassionate volunteers to engage our homeless guests and recovery residents in a variety of positions. Apply to be a volunteer today! Current Needs: Guest Relations Office…
Read MoreHave homeless people become so invisible we wouldn’t notice our own family members living on the street? In a social experiment done by New York Rescue Mission, several people agreed to pose as homeless men and women sitting on the sidewalk. Then they had their unsuspecting family members walk by them. Check out the video…
Read MoreWeather reports have indicated this summer will be the hottest in years. If these predictions hold true, the Portland area could see as many as 20 days above 90 degrees. While the warm sun is a relief to the homeless men and women who’ve fought through the harsh winter, oppressive heat can be just as daunting…
Read MoreIt’s pretty safe to assume that everyone has encountered someone on a street corner asking for help. They often ask for money, prompting the thought, “What do I do? I don’t want to give them money, but I don’t have anything else to offer them.” Melody ran into this predicament several months ago. A man…
Read MoreA week ago we celebrated the birthdays of all the homeless guests we serve with our annual Birthday Party for the Homeless! Many of our homeless friends watch as their birthdays pass by year after year, uncelebrated. For others, this is their first year on the streets. For them, a birthday party simply makes life…
Read MoreIt’s dark outside. Imagine tossing and turning in a weathered sleeping bag; the cold, unforgiving hardness of the sidewalk pressed up against your body no matter how you lie. When you finally get “comfortable,” you struggle to fall asleep because you know everything you own could be gone when you wake up. Yes, your most…
Read MoreYou may have seen this story we launched earlier this spring featuring Doug, a man going through our New Life Ministry addiction recovery program. WATCH: Doug’s Story of Hope video Since his story and video were released about 2 months ago, Doug has received overwhelming feedback and encouragement from friends and family. “They say I’ve…
Read MoreTo must of us, getting handed $100 would be exciting. To a homeless person, it’s a lifeline. Check out this powerful video from “Give Back Films.” While giving large amounts of money isn’t necessarily the best way to help a person on the street, this example of radical generosity reveals important truths: To someone in…
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