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Homeless Women's Task Force report is now available The Homeless Women's Task Force report is now available! The report is an up-to-the-minute account of the state of homeless single women in Portland. Read it here. Transition Projects underwrote the publication of this report because we think th issues are so important to the community at this moment. Please consider contributing today to support the work of the Task Force and our other programs that make a real difference in our community. Download the report here in Adobe format or call for a paper copy of the report: (503) 823-4930, x205. Background on the Task Force
In spring 1999, hikers and joggers found three murdered women, each who was known to be homeless, in Forest Park. The murders, the work of a serial killer, unnerved Portland and shone a light on homeless women in the city. The City of Portland's Bureau of Housing and Community Development responded by extending women's "winter shelter" year-round. Service providers used emergency vouchers to get women off the streets and into shelter-any kind of safe shelter. People gave media interviews, and the issue of homeless women came to the forefront for a moment. Predictably, once a suspect was apprehended, the light of attention faded. Winter shelter transformed, permanently into year-round shelter for women, but the emergency vouchers were gone, and the media attention went away. In spring 2000, near the one year anniversary of the murders, Transition Projects, Inc. released a report, "Women's Reality: Single Homeless Women in the City of Portland." The report showed that on any given night, there were 600 to 800 homeless women in Portland, with fewer than 85 beds available (excluding domestic violence shelters). It argued that homeless women were vulnerable and victimized everyday; the capture of a serial killer had not made the streets safe. The report argued for the creation of a taskforce that would help us better understand the lives of homeless single women in Portland, and what we could do to better the situation. In October 2001, Transition Projects held a community forum on homeless single women in Portland. The forum served as an introduction to the mounting crisis, and brought together voices ranging from: Legal Aid Services of Oregon, former Portland City Council member and state legislator Gretchen Kafoury, Everywoman's Health Clinic, Oregon Food Bank, and the Royal Palm Community. Multnomah County Chair Diane Linn, Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten, the Bureau of Housing and Community Development, and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral provided critical support of the forum. The forum launched the Homeless Women's Task Force, with many of the attendees joining and supporting our work. Our needs and resource assessment is currently in press and will be available by mid-September. Please return to this page for the full report, or send us your contact information and, when available, we will send you a copy of the report, either electronically or in the mail. Transition Projects' original report, "Women's Reality: Single Homeless Women in the City of Portland" is available by clicking here, or we also have a synopsis available here. ©Copyright 2004, Transition Projects, Inc. All rights reserved. |