Our Values.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Trauma-Informed Care
Land Acknowledgement
Our Vision & Guiding Values
Family Promise of Tualatin Valley visualizes a community in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and a chance to build a better future.
Dignity – Honor each individual through an atmosphere of respect, trust, and confidentiality
Empowerment – Inspire self-sufficiency through the development of courage, confidence, and pride
Kindness – We are friendly, generous and considerate and believe people should be valued, seen and accepted for who they are, and not judged by their circumstances
Accountability – Accept responsibility for commitments and accomplishing our goals
Stewardship – We are committed and dedicated stewards of the resources entrusted to us to benefit those we serve
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
While anybody can be in danger of losing their home, we know that homelessness disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) members of our community. This is not an accident—rather, it is the direct result of state and national policies endorsing systemic racism and discrimination. Oregon’s historical Black Exclusion Laws and Portland’s extensive redlining, a practice of denying loans to certain residents, have worked to prevent communities of color in our area from accumulating wealth. While the root causes of these inequities and injustices are multifaceted, homelessness and wealth disparities in our community result from systems of discrimination against BIPOC members of our community, not from individual shortcomings.
Equity at FPTV
We have adapted the policies of our programs to fit the needs of our community, in consultation with local culturally specific partners. These connections, along with our established track record and partnerships, have allowed us to be a trusted resource for all guests, including those with traditionally marginalized identities. We also recognize that like everyone, we make mistakes—when this happens, we will acknowledge them, make amends, and prioritize facilitating continued learning and growth. We aim to be an anti-racist organization and are committed to doing the work needed to identify and dismantle systems of oppression both within our organization and our area at large.
Non-discrimination statement
Family Promise of Tualatin Valley serves individuals and families of all compositions. We do not discriminate—or tolerate discrimination—on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity/expression and sexual orientation), disability, or age. We strive to create a mindful and respectful organizational culture in which guests and employees can be their authentic selves and work/live in an environment free from harassment, racism, and discrimination. We welcome everyone in our community to contribute to our work equipping families and individuals to end the cycle of homelessness.
DEI Resources
Please review these resources to learn more about Oregon’s practices and policies that have disenfranchised communities of color, the legacies of which remain prominent today. And if you have other helpful resources we should highlight, please send them our way. You may also wish to get involved with Unite Oregon, which organizes for housing justice through policy advocacy, education, and eviction prevention (2023).
“Leading with Race: Research Justice in Washington County” (Washington County and Coalition of Communities of Color, 2018)
“Historical context of racist planning: a History of how planning segregated Portland” (City of Portland, 2019)
“Homelessness Research: Race and Homeless” (Portland State University, 2023)
Statistics showing the overrepresentation of BIPOC individuals among deaths of homeless people in Oregon (Oregon Health Authority, 2023)
Tigard’s racial equity plan, which provides history, current data, and an action plan for improving local racial and economic disparities (City of Tigard, 2023)
Check out these resources to understand the import of cultural humility, learn about poverty in the United States, and dismantle racial privilege and implicit biases:
“Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practices” (video, Chávez, 2012)
“Being Antiracist”, resources by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC, 2023)
“Social Class & Poverty in the US: Crash Course Sociology” (video, CrashCourse, 2017)
Take an "Implicit Association" test to better understand your implicit biases (Harvard, 2023)
“We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it?” (video, Hockett, 2017)
“Moving Beyond Implicit Bias” (video, Johnson, 2022)
“Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice” (National Association of Social Workers, 2023)
“Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege”, a helpful discussion guide for groups (which you can also review as an individual!) by the University of Southern California School of Social Work (USC, 2020)
Family Promise National’s Race and Equity Task Force has also compiled a helpful list of articles, podcasts, and videos related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (Family Promise, 2023)
Trauma-Informed Care
FPTV case managers are trained to provide trauma-informed care for our clients. The guiding principles of trauma-informed care are safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment. We use a trauma-informed lens to continuously evaluate our program from intake to exit to ensure that we don’t re-traumatize our guests. For example, we minimize the number of times individuals need to tell their story by establishing a strong relationship with their case manager, who serves as their primary point of contact. Instead of sharing spaces, as in a congregate shelter setting, each family has its own space to decompress and make progress on case management tasks. We provide essentials like food, clothing, and toiletries, so our guests can avoid the stress of meeting these basic needs. We also ensure our guests’ safety and security by limiting entry to our shelter and requiring photo identification before entering the building. We work with each participant and help them create an individually tailored plan based on their own strengths and goals. Our participants shape their program goals in an intentional and collaborative way. Partnership and advocacy define our case management practices.
FPTV’s Land Acknowledgment
FPTV’s Bridge to Home operates on the unceded lands of the Atfalati- (“at-fall-uh-tee”) Kalapuya (“cal-uh-poo-yuh”) peoples, the traditional stewards of this land. Today, most Kalapuya people are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde or the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. We recognize that the Indigenous members of the Tualatin Valley are still here, contributing to and connecting with our area. We respectfully acknowledge and honor them, their ancestors, and their descendants. We grieve the harmful societal- and individual-level impacts of settler colonialism, forced displacement, and violent assimilation policies on Native communities in our area.
To learn more and take action, check out these resources:
Native Land maps Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages around the world (Native Land, 2023)
Oregon State University (OSU) offers resources that map the Indigenous communities in Oregon and highlight the stories of Indigenous peoples in our state (OSU, 2023)
“Honoring Indigenous Peoples in Oregon” (Fair Housing Council of Oregon, 2023)
Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) offers culturally-specific programs and services to Native communities in Portland. You can support them by donating, volunteering, and attending their events.
Image Credit
Five Oaks Museum, which preserves and presents history of the Tualatin Valley, offers an online exhibit “This IS Kalapuyan Land: Atfalati Kalapuya” as part of the larger exhibition “This IS Kalapuyan Land,” curated by Stephanie Littlebird Fogel (Grand Ronde, Kalapuya). You can view the exhibit by following any of the above links. Among other resources, the Museum offers this map of tribes and languages in our area.
