Responding to Poverty and Homelessness in Forest Grove
The Forest Grove Foundation has served the local community for more than two decades. Today, as a nonprofit based in and dedicated to Forest Grove and Western Washington County,
our programs serve some of our most vulnerable community members, including unsheltered homeless individuals and families experiencing housing and food insecurity.
“By coming together as a compassionate community, we can create lasting change, uplift individuals and families out of poverty, and provide a path to housing stability and self-sufficiency.” –Shawn Cardwell, Executive Director
Our Programs
By providing essential services and support to our neighbors experiencing poverty and homelessness, together with our partners and supporters we are working to build a healthier and more compassionate community for all. Our current initiatives include:
Housing and Food Outreach
When COVID-19 arrived, we pivoted our resources to address food insecurity and help those experiencing homelessness in Forest Grove. Today, we continue growing our capacity to respond to these challenges through our food program and our housing and outreach services team.
- Our food program prepares and distributes hearty hot meals and shelf-stable snacks to individuals experiencing homelessness in Forest Grove and rural areas in Western Washington County.
- The housing and outreach services team supports our neighbors experiencing homelessness wherever they are by providing survival supplies, engaging in conversations around resources, and building and prioritizing trusting relationships.
Community Service Hub
Forest Grove currently lacks the coordinated suite of programs and services needed to address the community’s growing challenges related to homelessness. FGF is working to fill this gap by
launching a service hub that will:
- Offer peer-centered support for people struggling with poverty, housing, and food insecurity in Western Washington County.
- Work with other community-based organizations to deliver substance use disorder counseling, case management, housing navigation, employment services, and connections to other agencies.
- Help facilitate the journey toward housing, recovery, wellness, and self-sufficiency for our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
- Minimize disruptions to the community through appointment-based services with professional staff who will ensure client needs are met in a secure, safe facility that positively impacts our neighbors and those we serve.
Transitional Housing Village
- Working to identify a location and establish a timeline that meets the needs of the local community and complements other regional efforts to address houselessness and poverty.
- Designing a safe and dignified living environment where residents can address the underlying causes of homelessness such as job loss, mental health issues, or addiction, with the goal of supporting a transition to permanent housing.
- Learning from other successful models and contracting with leading experts to plan and design an effective, evidence-based transitional housing solution that fosters a safer and inclusive community.
- Collaborating with law enforcement and local officials to ensure these plans positively impact the community by responding to and decreasing public health risks associated with unsheltered homelessness.
We are committed to actively listening to your feedback and ideas as we work to address poverty and homelessness.
Get in touch and help us build a more compassionate Forest Grove.