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Stories from Staff

‘Wow’ moments at Portland Rescue Mission (and current job openings)

When you work at an organization like Portland Rescue Mission, “wow” moments are regularly sprinkled throughout the work week. In a place where lives are being transformed regularly, our staff has the opportunity to hear those stories from guests as well as see those themselves. See some of the recent reports from staff below and…

114 February 21st, 2015 0
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Heart of recovery process around every corner of The Harbor

Starting a new life requires a completely new way of thinking. Old patterns that were once a crutch have to be replaced with healthy habits. Led by Community Life Pastor and Worship Pastor Danny Kugelberg, the staff at the The Harbor put together the “beauty and inspiration team.” “Our desire is to create an environment that is…

99 February 20th, 2015 0
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Christine Ourada loves ‘rubbing shoulders with Jesus’ as Shepherd’s Door Director

For many people, one of their greatest desires and yet biggest disappointments is a complete lack of meaningful work. Not so for Christine Ourada, Director of Women and Children’s Ministries for Portland Rescue Mission. Take a tour with her at Shepherd’s Door, listen to her talk at Jubilee (the women’s New Life Ministry graduation ceremony), or simply sit down and chat with…

100 February 12th, 2015 0
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Portland Rescue Mission, The Oregonian discuss ‘homeless crisis’

In case you missed it, our Public Relations Specialist Alexa Mason recently sat down with The Oregonian’s Anna Griffin to talk about Portland’s homeless crisis, an eight-week series the newspaper is working on. During Wednesday’s live chat, Mason spent some time answering reader’s questions about how we can help homeless men and women, and what…

108 January 31st, 2015 0
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Stay Updated With Mobile Alerts!

We have a brand new way to stay in touch! Get updated with Mission news by receiving text alerts on your phone! Remember the freak snowstorm we had earlier this year? What about the boil-water alert in the spring? Emergency situations that bring immediate needs to our Burnside Shelter are great examples of when having a text alert system…

98 October 21st, 2014 0
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Mondays at the Mission: Ep 40 – Meet Our Women’s Director

Shepherd’s Door is our women’s addiction recovery center that is home to over 40 women and 20 children. This yearlong residential program helps women discover the deep-seated roots that led to their addiction in the first place and heal from them through intensive classes, counseling, and spiritual understanding and growth. Women who have children also…

93 October 19th, 2014 0
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Shelter Improvements Help Homeless

Our Burnside Shelter has gone through radical change in the last couple years. In 2013, we renovated the entire second and third floors of the building to make space for dozens of men and women in our transitional Link and Connect programs. We also transformed our chapel into a community center to give our homeless…

96 October 7th, 2014 0
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Mondays at the Mission: Ep 37 – Ted Prepares Meals For Homeless

Fall has arrived. As we enter our busiest time of the year, thousands of homeless men and women will be coming through our doors for a hot meal. We don’t receive any government funding, which means that each meal we serve is provided by generous donations from community members like you! When food donations come…

88 September 29th, 2014 0
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Mondays at the Mission: Ep 36 – Elizabeth Learns To Cope

Two years ago, Elizabeth’s husband passed away. Not equipped to deal with the grief, Elizabeth sank into a dangerous drug addiction. She wanted to improve her life, but didn’t know how. Never having done treatment before, Elizabeth came to our New Life Ministry recovery program several months ago and began to process her grief and…

90 September 22nd, 2014 0
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Camping, Hiking, Bonding, Healing

 Last week, the men in our New Life Ministry addiction recovery program at The Harbor embarked on a first-ever, four-day retreat into the wilderness of Central Oregon. For many of the men, this was their first opportunity to sleep under the stars, go boating, fish on a lake, and invest time engaging with other men,…

95 September 19th, 2014 0
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