Donate to Keep Alice, Roc, and Rex Safe
Donation protected
Hello, please consider donating to our neighbors, Alice, Roc and Rex; a houseless family living in their van at Lloyd Center. The funds raised will go toward repairing their van and anything beyond will go toward much needed resources. I recently responded to Alice’s plea on NextDoor for assistance and met her and her family in person when I dropped off some supplies. This family is very much in need, so please if you can spare even a few dollars, it would help. Thank you!
The backstory
Alice, her partner Roc and their 6-year-old son Rex live in their van during the day in the Lloyd Center parking lot. In the evenings they have to move to the street and usually park in a gas station lot for the overnight. They desperately need to get their van in a drivable, reliable condition. As of now, the van most likely needs a battery, possibly an alternator, brakes and electrical work. Their situation is complex and after talking in depth with Alice about their challenges, the fact that their van is barely operable right now is the biggest obstacle to their ability to receive services and secure basic necessities, including; food, the use of bathrooms, showers, clean clothes, medical attention, potty training for Rex, and assistance with his behavioral challenges and hopefully a temporary shelter as they wait indefinitely for their permanent housing. They have been working with Home Forward and have secured an apartment in the new Hazel Ying Lee building on 30th and Powell. They have even been told their Unit #, however the move in date is indefinite. In the meantime, they REALLY need to access some services!
With Alice's permission, I have outlined some of the challenges they face as they await permanent housing.
- They really can’t leave their van unattended. The driver’s side window is stuck halfway down. All of their stuff is in the van, it’s currently their home.
- Roc has sleep apnea and insomnia. He has mobility issues and was hospitalized not long ago, he may qualify for disability, they are working on that. It is hard for him to watch Rex alone b/c Rex likes to try and leave the van.
- Rex has ADHD and ODD(Oppositional Defiance Disorder) and Alice believes he is also likely on the autism spectrum. These are challenging issues to deal with for any parents and much more so when dealing with the stress of daily survival.
- Alice grew up in Portland, she’s very kind and super smart but she is overwhelmed. She has a good grasp of the resources that are available, however their current situation makes it almost impossible to access any services b/c they are essentially stuck near their van which serves as their shelter. Also, noteworthy, many of the shelters and services are at full capacity, as we all know there is a houseless crisis in Portland!
- Alice has styled hair in the past and would like to return to this profession. She is also a musician. She is very well spoken and could be an asset in many professional settings and has worked on/off over the past few years in retail customer service.
- Alice has been clean for 15 years, however she still has to take methadone and goes to the clinic daily. The clinic told her that she can taper even more, which will mean less trips there, so that’s good. She can’t be away from Rex for long as she is the main caregiver and the most able bodied to physically attend to him. Anywhere they might stay even temporarily, such as a shelter, will have to be a reasonable distance from the clinic or she must have reliable transportation.
- If their van can be repaired, they could drive to Rose Haven, a day shelter in NW Portland that offers services such as: meals, bathroom & shower use, counseling, referral and resource navigation, onsite clinic, laundry, and services for children. https://rosehaven.org/services/. To receive services here, they must register and line up in the morning before it opens, as it’s first-come first-serve. They need to be able to drive their van and park nearby. Rose Haven could refer them to an overnight shelter such as Bybee Lakes
Organizer
Amanda Lerch
Organizer
Portland, OR