Portland, May 26th, 2013. It was a special night for the 200 attendees who raised $76,000 for Human Solutions‘ emergency shelter and housing programs for homeless families. The “Tonight’s the Night” gala was also a time and to celebrate Human Solutions’ 25 years of service to the community. (photo credit, Andie Petkus Photography) Lee Jorgensen, Pat Lando, Kim Wilson, and Dave Otte, all with Host Architecture; Sarah Zahn, Director of Housing at Human Solutions; Ted Zahn, and City Commissioner Nick Fish all joined in the celebration.

Carole Morse, PGE Foundation President and Community Investment
Manager at PGE; and Deborah Peterson, assistant professor at PSU.

Carla Piluso, Human Solutions Board President, and entertainer Tony
Starlight.

Tina Ensign, Human Solutions Board Member and guest speaker.

Excited bidder Cherie Siegmund, owner of Cedarglen Floral.

  “Tonight’s the Night,” Human Solutions’ 25^th anniversary celebration gala and auction, featured silent and live auctions, a buffet dinner, and signature cocktails. Guests boogied to live 70’s music provided by Tony Starlight’s AM Gold Band. The evening’s auctioneer was Jason Demicheli of Demicheli Benefit Auctions. Proceeds from Tonight’s the Night will support Human Solutions’ emergency shelter and housing programs that serve more than 250 homeless families on any given night, as well as the agency’s employment programs. For more information, visit www.humansolutions.org.

About Human Solutions

Human Solutions’ mission is to help low-income and homeless families and individuals gain self-sufficiency by providing affordable housing, family support services, job readiness training, and economic development opportunities.

Human Solutions has been helping homeless and low-income families build pathways out of poverty for 25 years. Our 245-mile service area in outer East Portland and East Multnomah County includes some of the highest poverty neighborhoods in Multnomah County. Last year, we touched the lives of more than 88,000 people. We offer services in four interrelated areas:

• Prevention Services: Each year, we help over 7,000 households avoid having their utilities shut off and remain warm and safe in their homes by providing utility assistance. We also help over 440 households remain in their homes each year through short-term emergency rent assistance.

• Direct Services to Homeless Families: We operate emergency shelter, transitional housing, “Housing First” programs, and permanent supportive housing. Acting on the belief that housing is a basic human right, we move homeless families into permanent housing as quickly as possible and then offer them the supportive services necessary to stabilize their situations and overcome their homelessness.

• Employment and Economic Development Programs: Having a family wage job is essential to a family’s ability to overcome homelessness and be self-sufficient. Human Solutions operates three distinct employment and economic development programs that help more than 300 individuals with significant barriers to employment find family wage jobs and/or improve their job skills to increase their household incomes each year.

• Affordable Housing: Human Solutions owns and operates 16 high-quality affordable housing complexes containing 608 apartments. At each property we offer Resident Services, which help families maintain housing by connecting them to quality social, educational and employment services (both within Human Solutions and in the wider community) so they can move forward in their lives. Last year, about 620 families, comprised of more than 1,900 people, resided in our affordable housing.

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