What We Do

The Problem

We don’t have to look far to see the problem of family homelessness—it’s happening all around us. The 2021 State Trends in Child Well-Being study conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation reports that 27% of Oregon’s children have parents that lack secure employment and 29% live in households where there is a high housing cost burden. In Washington and Clackamas Counties, the Oregon Department of Education reported that 3,747 students were identified as homeless during the 2019-2020 school year. Families in our community need help—we’re here to provide individualized support in their journeys to sustainable housing. Additionally, over the past few years, the number of adults facing houslessness has skyrocketed in our region due to a lack of affordable housing. To make matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic led to lost employment, making it even harder for adults on fixed incomes to meet their living expenses. Because of this context, FPTV expanded our services to provide services to adults at increased risk of COVID-19.

Our Approach

Family Promise of Tualatin Valley serves families and adults experiencing houselessness from the Tigard-Tualatin, Sherwood, Lake Oswego, and West Linn-Wilsonville school districts. Our network of sixteen civic and religious organizations help us to provide shelter, meals, and a supportive community for our guests every day of the year.

Though the families in program no longer visit our Day Center—which served as a hub for community for our rotational shelter—FPTV’s current programs remain individualized, warm, and caring. Our volunteers wrap around each guest we welcome into program, ensuring they feel our supportive community from day one at FPTV. From birthday celebrations to move-in support to career and budgeting mentorship, we strive to support each guest while in shelter and beyond.

Our motel shelter program has allowed us to increase shelter capacity at a time when needs are high. The expansion of our capacity has also augmented our impact. On the experiential side, guests can settle into their own space, feeling the independence and stabilization that accompanies this comfort. Guests can cook food for themselves in their own kitchens. This access to healthy meals is a game-changer for many folks who have been living out of their cars or in other places not fit for habitation. Our families express gratitude to be able to provide nutritious meals for their children each day. And, of course, the motel model has helped reduce the possibility of spreading COVID-19 between our guests by ensuring every household has its own space. We will remain in our motel model through 2022 as we continue to evaluate public health directives.

In addition to working one-on-one with each guest, FPTV advocates for families experiencing homelessness at the city, county, and state level. By offering prevention services in our community, sheltering and providing case management with housing navigation to those who experience houselessness, and administering graduate supports for families placed into housing, FPTV helps to ensure the long-term independence and economic stability of our graduates. Our goal is not simply getting families into housing; it is keeping them in housing.