RHYTHMS

We are unique, and much of that is a part of our ongoing rhythms. We take our queues from our outdoor friends and listen to what they are hoping for.  We intentionally work towards:

COMMUNITY

Not just a place to hang out and get stuff, but a real community that loves and takes care of each other. Every week we are together, we see evidence of this taking root and growing in beautiful ways.

LOVING EACH OTHER FACE-TO-FACE

We all sit among each other as friends. We listen, share, encourage and sometimes even cry together. We are not behind a counter or up in front – we are in the midst of our friends taking part in community.

LAUGHING

A community that laughs and plays together is a thriving community. Everything from hosting BINGO and water balloon fights, to just good old fashioned humor creates a key dynamic that is missing from so many of our lives.

AT PEACE

The atmosphere during HOMEpdx is usually peaceful. Our community strives to love our neighbors and respect each other as equals in everything that we do. When we are together, we stand as a stark contrast to life outside, where an individual is often confronted with the reality of violence.

WEEKLY RHYTHMS

Each week we meet up with our outdoor friends in regular ways, including:

• Sunday lunch on the waterfront.  This is our original and still our largest gathering with a rotation of groups bringing in a meal for around 100 people.
• Monday and Tuesday lunches in the South Park Blocks. We started serving meals downtown when the pandemic shut down a number of the usual meal options. We have volunteer groups bring us 125 sack lunches and we hand them out face-to-face along with conversation.  We also provide showers, laundry, charging for electronics, a clothing closet and a food pantry.
• Tuesday burritos. The other original gathering is Tuesday evening burritos in the Park Blocks.  The conversations continue long after the food is gone as we enjoy the evening air together.
• Wednesday coffee run. For more than 10 years now we have been showing up on the streets in the early morning with coffee, hot chocolate, and light food options.  No agenda, no spiel – just a chance to bless peoples’ mornings with “breakfast in bed” and a friendly voice.
• Wednesday camp run. New since the pandemic, we partner with the Oregon Food Bank to deliver hot meals and a mobile food pantry to a rotation of camps that are too far out to get services from downtown.  As we listened to our friends we quickly switched from a pre-packed food bag to a mobile shopping experience where people browse the two or three cars full of food and pick what they actually want.
• Thursday bike run. New this summer, our new staff members Cody and Matt load up bike trailers and ride out to campers within a few miles of downtown.  They deliver sack lunches, pantry food items, and socks.  They also listen to what people need in these communities and return with what they can gather.

The mission of HOMEpdx is pretty simple, loving people face-to-face, but the complexity of the meaning is mirrored in the stories of our friends and the depths of our relationships. The small things that we offer to meet needs pale in comparison to the importance of loving community and authentic relationships. The fact is that it takes a whole team of ministries to help everyone in downtown Portland, OR (currently around 7000 people). We are just one part, unique and hopefully of value to the whole effort.

We are people trying to figure out life together.  We welcome others to join us if they want to be part of our community.