Pika's Story

A new home, after seventeen years on the streets

Joy, better known as Pika, had been homeless since she was seventeen years old. Thirty four years old now, that's half her life spent mostly on the streets, only on occasion finding a couch to sleep on with family or friends. For many of those years, her focus was on having fun, rather than finding housing. It wasn't until her life on the streets led to frequent illnesses that she decided that it was time for a change.

"I was tired of losing my stuff, tired of being outside, and tired of people stealing my pillows!" says Pika. Still, even after hearing about Transition Projects, she was reluctant to engage with a case manager. She did, however, start coming regularly to the weekly Women's Breakfast group held at Transition Projects' Glisan Center, where she met Women's Outreach Specialists Stacy Borke and Ledena Mattox.

"The women's group proved to be the perfect location to begin developing a relationship with Pika," says Mattox. "The group is a friendly, safe, low-barrier environment through which to reach women experiencing homelessness."

Pika had been coming to the breakfast group for more than two years, working with Borke on basic services like obtaining a copy of her birth certificate, before she decided it was time to start case management with Mattox, and work to find housing.

"It took me two years to get ready and realize, I want to be inside," Pika says of the decision to begin case management. She had been hospitalized for a lung infection, and knew that she needed to get off the streets. She called Mattox from the hospital, and they started filling out housing applications together.

Last month, Pika signed the lease for her new apartment. She is enrolled in a rent assistance grant for chronically homeless women, designed to assist her in regaining stability and maintaining her housing. Mattox and Pika will continue working together, and are currently working on budgeting, basic household management, and obtaining permanent housing.

Jean's Place Luncheon

Only Five Weeks Away!

Seats are going fast to the Third Annual Jean's Place Luncheon! You can reserve your seat now to join us for this wonderful event, with special guests Dr. Bruce Goldberg, Nick Fish, and Deborah Kafoury. The luncheon will take place from noon to 1:00 PM on Friday, May 21st at First Christian Church, 1314 SW Park Ave.

Visit us online at www.tprojects.org, call 503-823-4926 x4, or email luncheon@tprojects.org to reserve your free ticket today!

Keep Up with the Resource Access Center Online

Construction continues to progress smoothly on the Resource Access Center, which is expected to be completed in time for a grand opening in May 2011. You can keep up to date on the progress being made on our website's news page.  

New to the website is a wonderful 90-second video, put together by the Housing Authority of Portland, about the Resource Access Center, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, from which a portion of the funding for the RAC will come.