Portland, October 16th-17th, 2013. Human Solutions’ 11th annual “It’s on the House” fundraisers generated $39,000 to support emergency shelter and housing programs for low-income and homeless families. Human Solutions client Shannon Chandonet and her year-old son, Dillon were among the 190 people who attended. Previously homeless, Shannon and Dillon stayed at Human Solutions’ emergency Daybreak Shelter while the agency helped them find a suitable apartment. Shannon has graduated from college, and is working with a Human Solutions Family Advocate to reach long-term self-sufficiency. (photo credit, Andie Petkus Photography)
First Lady of Oregon Cylvia Hayes delivered the keynote address at the Portland luncheon, held at the Benson Hotel.
Speakers were eloquent in their support of Human Solutions’ mission to build pathways out of poverty for low-income and homeless families. Guests also heard from a Human Solutions client who shared how the stable housing and support services she received for herself and her son helped her overcome domestic violence and drug addiction to graduate from college and rebuild her life.
Board Members Jesse Smith and Olga Gerberg at the “It’s On the House” Portland luncheon.
Luncheon guests included Jan Laskey, Senior Vice President and Senior Client Manager of Community Development Banking, Bank of America; Jean DeMaster, Executive Director, Human Solutions; Rich Miller, Director of Operations at Affinity Property Management; and Carla Piluso, Board President, Human Solutions.
Women With Direction members with First Lady Cylvia Hayes (fourth from right) and Human Solutions Executive Director Jean DeMaster (far right).
There was also a Gresham breakfast at Persimmon Country Club featured a keynote address by Judith Huck, owner of Classique Floors and the 2013 Oregon Small Business Person of the Year.
Human Solutions thanked the following sponsors for making these events possible: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, KeyBank, Affinity Property Management, Enterprise Community Partners, Legacy Health, and Alder Geotechnical Services.
Portland, April 12th, 2013. Human Solutions received a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Foundation that will help provide emergency shelter, permanent housing and case management services to homeless families. This latest grant brings BofA’s total philanthropic support for Human Solutions to $235,000 over past decade.
Nicole Frisch, assistant Vice President, present Human Solutions receives the grant check from Monique Barton, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Bank of America
The grant supports the Homeless Families Program at Human Solutions, which serves more than 700 homeless parents and children in 230 families on any given night. The program helps families permanently overcome homelessness through a combination of emergency shelter, permanent affordable housing and intensive case management. This mix of services is extremely effective when serving homeless families, according to Human Solutions Executive Director Jean DeMaster.
“Emergency shelter serves homeless families in crisis. Permanent housing offers these families stability while they work to overcome homelessness for good,” DeMaster said. “Support from the Bank of America Foundation helps make it possible for Human Solutions to provide the support homeless families need so they can get back on their feet and provide for themselves and their children.”
Monique Barton, Bank of America’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, cited the unique and effective mix of temporary shelter, permanent housing and case management as the reason for BofA’s funding: “Human Solutions has a proven track-record of getting results in the work they do, and we’re pleased to be able to do our part to support their important efforts. And on behalf of our local 1,600 employees, we’re especially proud of the fact that this is the 10th year we’re supporting Human Solutions, with $235,000 in grants from the Bank of America Foundation over that time,” said Barton.
About Human Solutions: Human Solutions promotes self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income families and individuals in outer East Portland and East Multnomah County. The agency’s four primary program areas are overcoming homelessness, affordable housing, employment and economic development, and safety net services such as rent and utility assistance. For more information, visit www.humansolutions.org.
About Bank of America Foundation: The Bank of America Charitable Foundation provides philanthropic support to address needs vital to the health of communities Bank of America serves through a focus on preserving neighborhoods, educating the workforce for 21st century jobs and addressing critical needs, such as hunger. In order to create greater impact, the Foundation leverages a combination of local and national funding and volunteerism, both addressing the needs of the community and supporting the passion of Bank of America employees. For more information, visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
Information provided by Kim Christiansen of Human Solutions.
Portland, April 10th, 2013. For more than 40 years, Jean DeMaster has worked tirelessly to get homeless and low-income families and individuals out of the cold, off the streets, and into housing. (Photo Courtesy of Human Solutions)
Jean DeMaster at the Family Winter Shelter
This week, DeMaster, Executive Director at Human Solutions, was selected by the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors® and was honored at the Portland First Citizen Banquet at The Nines Hotel. DeMaster is the 85th recipient of this distinguished award, created in 1928 to honor civic achievements and business leadership.
“When I see families in really desperate situations, I know if Human Solutions can help provide shelter and housing, they won’t be suffering anymore. When people are waiting outside in the cold for the shelter to open, and you know that what they really need and want is housing, it makes me want to work harder to be sure that housing can be available for them,” said DeMaster.
The turnaround is gratifying, she said. “Many of the families are so miserable because they are literally living in their cars or in abandoned buildings,” DeMaster said. “We are happy we can provide shelter for them. They are so relieved at that point. That’s what keeps me going.” Typically, families only stay in shelter for three to five weeks before being placed into housing.
Realtors® understand just how much a safe and attractive house means to families, and it’s one of the reasons DeMaster feels so honored to receive the 2013 Portland First Citizen award. “The families we work with are all very low income, but they have the same desire to find a home, and begin to rebuild their lives. I’m honored to be recognized by the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors®.”
Carla Piluso, a member of the Human Solutions Board of Directors since 1996 and its current chair, called DeMaster one of her personal heroes. “Jean is the champion for those who cannot always speak for themselves. Not only does she provide those in the greatest need with a voice, she gives them the strength and confidence to find, and intimately shout out, with their own voice. She has touched the lives of thousands,” Piluso said.
A Wisconsin native, DeMaster moved to Portland after college and fell in love with the area, rain and all. Putting her graduate degree in clinical psychology to use, she initially worked as a social worker at Head Start. She moved on in 1973 to serve as Executive Director for Children’s Club, a child care center for children of low-income families.
During that period, DeMaster volunteered her time to an issue that would serve as a common theme throughout the next 40 years – ensuring safe places for women and children to live.
Over her career, DeMaster has volunteered her time to many different organizations, but the volunteer work she is most proud of is her part in the founding and early beginnings of Bradley Angle House. Founded in 1975, Bradley Angle House is the West Coast’s first domestic violence shelter, as well as one of the first emergency shelters for survivors of domestic violence in the country. It still exists as a safe shelter for women and children today.
In 1976, DeMaster, along with Kay Sohl, founded Technical Assistance for Community Services (TACS), an agency designed to provide training and consultation services for nonprofit agencies. TACS still exists today as the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.
In 1983, DeMaster became Executive Director of Transition Projects, Inc., a position she held for 11 years. It would prove to be a pivotal move. It was there she met Don Clark, former Multnomah County Commissioner, Sherriff, and Director of Central City Concern. He was instrumental in her understanding of the City of Portland.
DeMaster was also able to once again work on the issue near and dear to her heart: providing safe places for women. She succeeded. In 1993, Transition Projects opened Portland’s first homeless shelter and transitional housing facility that was solely for women. In honor of DeMaster’s leadership, the shelter was named Jean’s Place.
DeMaster went on to serve as Executive Director of the YWCA of Greater Portland. Her biggest project wasraising $9 million for the renovation of the downtown YWCA building to enhance programs ranging from aging and disability services to transitional housing.
That knack for fundraising would serve her well in the next major step in her professional career: Executive Director of Human Solutions. For the past 10 years, DeMaster has led the organization as it provides housing and services to people in Mid and East Multnomah County – eliminating barriers to escaping poverty through emergency family shelter, job training, affordable housing, eviction prevention, and emergency shelter. On any given night, Human Solutions provides housing or emergency shelter for approximately 240 homeless families – and more than 700 homeless people.
DeMaster’s proudest accomplishment at Human Solutions is the Rockwood Building, a four-year, $19 million project including 47 units of affordable housing and a multi-service center to serve homeless and low-income people in the Rockwood area, which faces one of the deepest levels of poverty in all of Multnomah County.
Today, the Rockwood Building includes 15 units of housing for homeless families and 32 units for low-income families. The Mt. Hood Community College Head Start Program, a Loaves and Fishes Center, LifeWorksNorthwest, Metropolitan Family Service, and the Wallace Medical Concern share office space there with Human Solutions.
Currently, DeMaster is tackling a 67-unit project that will provide workforce housing to people just starting out in their careers. Next, she’d like to mirror the Rockwood Building in the Portland area by creating another multi-service building that would house expanded office space for Human Solutions as well as bring people in the community together. It’s an exciting time for the organization, and DeMaster’s enthusiasm for her work hasn’t waned over the past 40 years.
“I have enjoyed my work immensely. It doesn’t always seem like work; it just seems like what I want to be doing.”
Portland, Jan. 6, 2013. The holiday season lived on at the 13th annual Epiphany Choir Fest, a benefit at Rose City Park United Methodist Church that raised $4,406 for the Human Solutions Homeless Families Program. Pacific Power matched the first $1,500 in donations. Human Solutions Executive Director Jean DeMaster joined Sheila Holden, Regional Community Manager at Pacific Power, and retired Pastor Charlie Ross, who served as emcee at the Epiphany Choir Fest. Holden presented a $1,500 gift from Pacific Power.Nine church choirs and one community choir participated in the event, singing traditional holiday carols and combining to perform “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
Nine church choirs and one community choir combine to sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah at the annual Epiphany Choir Fest, a benefit that raised $4,406 for Human Solutions’ Homeless Families Program. Pacific Power matched the first $1,500 in donations.
Churches that participated in the Epiphany Concert include those in the network of faith organizations that contribute time and resources to the Daybreak Shelter Network, a year-round, 15-bed facility for homeless families located in the daytime in the basement of Peace Church of the Brethren, and the Family Winter Shelter, a seasonal 82-bed facility that provides overnight shelter to homeless families at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ. In addition to these shelters, the Homeless Families Program at Human Solutions is currently serving an average of 200 more homeless families each night. In total, about 750 homeless adults and children are sheltered or housed at Human Solutions on any given night, according to Executive Director Jean DeMaster.
Funds from the Epiphany Fest help ensure that Human Solutions can provide emergency shelter 365 days and nights per year to homeless families, DeMaster said. “We are seeing record demand for emergency shelter and other services, and rely on the community to help sustain critical programs that help homeless families permanently overcome their homelessness and attain self-sufficiency,” she said. “We are so grateful to our local faith partners, who each year contribute their time and talent to the Epiphany Fest and make it so successful. We are especially thankful this year for the wonderful gift from Pacific Power.” The presentation of the gift from Pacific Power was made by Regional Community Manager Sheila Holden.
As in years past, local church choirs and community choirs sang traditional Christmas anthems and carols at the event, which culminated in the combined choirs singing “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. Retired local Pastor Charlie Ross once again presided over the event, serving as emcee and song leader.
Choirs from the following churches and community groups participated this year: Ascension Catholic, Central Church of the Nazarene, Colonial Heights Presbyterian, Eastrose Unitarian, Gethsemane Lutheran, Parkrose United Methodist, Rose City Park United Methodist Praise Band, Sacred Heart Catholic, St. Timothy Lutheran, and Voices of Hope Community Choir.
Human Solutions builds pathways out of poverty by promoting self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income families and individuals in East Portland and East Multnomah County. The agency’s four
key program areas are homelessness prevention, affordable housing, employment and economic development, and safety net services such as rent and utility assistance. For more information, visit www.humansolutions.org.
Contact: Jean DeMaster, Executive Director, Human Solutions
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