Path Home FAQs
Frequently asked questions about Path Home:
What does Path Home do? Path Home’s mission is to empower homeless families to get back into housing and stay there. Our services for families include homelessness prevention, trauma-informed shelter, helping families move back into permanent housing, and providing long-term support to help families keep their housing.
How do families get into Path Home programs?
Shelter & Rapid Re-Housing: Families call 2-1-1, our county-wide coordinated entry point to the homeless family system. On that call, families will be asked a vulnerability assessment to determine their level of need. Based on need, families will be placed on waitlists for shelter, rapid re-housing, or both. Once there is an opening in shelter or rapid re-housing, families are contacted and invited to participate in services.
Homelessness Prevention: Our Prevention Program offers one-time or short-term assistance to help families at risk of losing their housing. Applications can be found on our website and can be submitted anytime. Applications will be considered for the next round of assistance. Path Home offers two rounds of assistance per month; one at the start of a month and one mid month. If Path Home receives more qualified applicants than our Prevention Program can support then families are selected at random from the pool of qualified applicants until we reach capacity. Families can find information and application instructions here. They can also contact the Stability Navigator directly at 971-401-3745.
How long is the wait list for Path Home services? Unfortunately, there is more demand for services than we have resources for, so families can wait 6-12 months on the waitlist before being invited in for services. We prioritize families based on need - those with the most need get served first. It’s still a long wait.
How long can families stay at Family Village? Can they return again? Families can stay up to 4 months (120 days) in shelter and the average shelter stay is 87 days. Families can return to Family Village for a second (or third) shelter stay if they need us. Once a family has received services from Path Home, they are always part of our Path Home Village. We form long lasting, trusting relationships with families so they know we are a resource if they ever need us again.
Where do the kids in shelter go to school? Kids who lose their housing have a few options: 1) they can stay in the school they have been attending and the school district is required to provide transportation to and from school, wherever the student is staying; 2) if a family enters shelter, they can also choose to enroll the in the shelter’s local school; 3) kids are also welcome to attend Community Transitional School. All school districts have Homeless Liaisons that work with students who don’t have a permanent residence. Path Home has been impressed with the care and attention these Liaisons give to families in shelter.
Who does Path Home collaborate with? Path Home is a founding member of the Multnomah County Homeless Family System of Care, which is a collaboration of nine agencies that work together to help address family homelessness in our community. Our Homeless Family System partner agencies include NAYA Family Center, El Programa Hispano, IRCO, JOIN, Human Solutions, NARA, Latino Network, and 211Info. We also collaborate with Community Warehouse, Raphael House, Urban League, Morrison Child & Family Services, YWCA, Oregon Tradeswomen, Stone Soup, Impact Northwest, the Oregon Symphony, and many more organizations. Path Home is a member of the Oregon Housing Alliance, the Willamette Valley Development Officers, and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon.
Can I interview a Path Home staff member for my school assignment? Unfortunately due to the high-volume of inquiries we receive, we are not able to respond to student inquiries. However, we encourage you to find out more about homelessness and Path Home’s work on our website.
Other services
Can Path Home help single people or couples who are homeless? Path Home only works with families who have children under 18 in their care.
Does Path Home offer mental health services? Path Home partners with local organizations like Morrison Child & Family Services and Central City Concern to provide mental health services to families. One of our future goals for Path Home is to bring mental health services for families on site to our Family Village campus.
Does Path Home have day access services, like laundry and showers? Yes, our Family Village shelter is open 24-hours but is only available to families who are already registered in our programs. Family Village is not open to the general public.
Are there drop-in services available to the other people in the community? Check out Rose Haven and JOIN.
Understanding the issue of homelessness
What are the causes of homelessness? See here.
Where do families find housing? Our Housing Specialists help families find housing all over the tri-county area, wherever the family would like to live and where they can find affordable housing. Many families find housing in SE Portland and East Multnomah County, which is one of the main reasons we opened Family Village in the Lents neighborhood.
What is trauma-informed design? Path Home operates Oregon’s first and only shelter designed using trauma-informed design and architecture. This type of design is shown to help families heal through the crisis of homelessness and have more success getting back into housing. Learn more!
Where can I find information about Portland’s efforts to address homelessness?
Can I interview a family experiencing homelessness? Unfortunately, no. We respect the privacy of families that are in the middle of a family crisis.
Funding & Donations
How is Path Home funded? Path Home receives about 60% of our revenue from the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and 25% from individuals and corporations, and 15% from foundation grants. Check out Path Home’s financials statements.
How do I donate? Thank you! You can make a tax deductible donation here.
Does Path Home accept in-kind donations? Yes! Please refer to the list of items we accept and don’t accept.
We do not accept donations of clothes, shoes, furniture, household items, blankets, sleeping bags, tents, etc.
Can I volunteer at Path Home? Yes! We have a robust team who provide thousands of hours of service a year. Learn about our volunteer opportunities here.
Does Path Home accept vehicle donations? Yes! Path Home partners with the Volunteers of America Oregon so that you can donate your used vehicles to us. All donated vehicles are evaluated by Volunteers of America Oregon mechanics, and they determine how to achieve the highest sale price possible, both for the donor and our local human service programs. Some vehicles may be sold to low income individuals; others may be sold via internet ads or auctions. Learn more.