Village Autonomy Support Services
Our only paid staff, our Village Program Specialist, has been cut from the Multnomah County budget. Currently, the former staff is volunteering to uphold some of this critical support. But lacks the full time capacity necessary to fill the position. This position is critically important because it helps our village leaders with leadership development, administrative advising and training, data management, research, and systems advocacy support. We have been advocating for creating more of this position to support other self-governed villages through Village Autonomy Support Services.
Dignity Village has also been advocating to create an additional onsite position to close capacity gaps in connecting individuals with various social service providers based on each individual’s unique goals and/or barriers to transitioning to permanent housing.
Contact Victory LaFara, MSW (they/them/theirs) for more information.
971-413-2807
JOIN
JOIN provides mobile housing services support through their InReach team. Mobile housing services are necessary for supporting shelter for two reasons. 1. Housing case management is complex and requires a specialist agency with a large dedicated budget and varied services to truly support people getting into housing and staying in housing. 2. They don’t lose their case manager or their progress if they leave the shelter for any reason. Their services follow them wherever they go in the system. Stationary case management in shelter lacks the necessary specialist resources and cannot follow clients once they leave. Service navigators provide important connection support to specialist case management services and make a big difference in success, but are not a substitute for real housing case management from an agency like JOIN.
Portland Street Medicine
Portland Street Medicine provides critical connection to medical services and supplies. PSM sends out medical staff who specialize in building trust-based relationships with patients who often are fearful of medical settings and/or medicine. They have saved more limbs and lives than we could ever thank them for.
Dignity Village 