East Washington County Shelter Partnership Council

Hello! I am Anzhelika Kadirova. I am a senior at MountainSide High School. A little bit about me is that I am obsessed with my cat, I love ceramics, I work at Cafe Murray Hill, and I like to challenge myself.

At the beginning of the year, we were introduced to a Political Engagement Activity. To sum it up, we pick a political issue, research it and engage in one way or another. My topic is homelessness in Oregon and how shifts in policies affect individuals who are homeless.

I decided to call the Good Neighbor Center (GNC) located at 11130 SW Greenburg Rd. Tigard Oregon 97223. To start a fundraiser and a food drive for them. Good Neighbor Center houses and keeps together self-identified families who are unsheltered or have insecure housing. GNC walks alongside those families to help build community and assets that prevent and end homelessness. Their vision is “Good Neighbor Center (GNC) believes every person is part of a family and every family should be a housed family. Every child deserves to be housed, fed nutrient rich food, and receive holistic, empowering, trauma-informed child care so parents can maintain living wage jobs.”

GNC has been open since 1999. They are a non-profit organization. Housing up to 9 at a time families for 6 weeks at a time and provides resources like food, water, and shelter, to help while families are staying there. Families can stay up to 6 weeks in the shelter while a case manager and other staff help families gain employment and stable housing. They continue to help families who request food and hygiene products once a month for 12 months after they have moved out of the shelter. GNC welcomes the LGBTQ+ community who are in need. Multi-generational families are welcomed. Even families who have support/service animals.

I met with some of their staff members and worked out a plan, and it worked out! During November, I partnered up with Key Club at my school for the food drive and was able to donate 5 shopping carts full to the top! Then during the whole month of December, I am having this fundraiser for them. The goal will be 5,000 dollars. The money will go directly to them for things like a childcare facility, licensing & registration, gender-neutral bathrooms, a washer and dryer facility, new storage shed, and more!

Any amount will help; even if you are not able to donate, please share this with friends, family, or co-workers. If you would like to volunteer, you can look them up at (www.gncnw.org) or call them at (503-443-6084).

If you or a loved one needs help, you can contact Community Action at (503-726-0812) and ask to be added to the Family Shelter Waitlist. When a room becomes available, GNC staff will contact you to connect your family to the program and the services they provide.

If you need immediate assistance for nearby Oregon counties in Washington, Multnomah, or Clackamas, call (2-1-1) or go to their website ( https://www.211info.org/ ) 211info operators work to help people identify, navigate, and connect with the local resources they need.