Giving Back

20 Ways to Make a Difference in Portland

Volunteering opportunities across the city, from serving lunch to planting trees.

11/26/2025 By Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Book Club

The Bike Library Connecting Portland’s Housed and Unhoused Residents

Street Books has made a lot of friends in its 15 years—and divined a uniquely effective form of mutual aid.

08/12/2025 By Jaydra Johnson Photography by Michael Novak

History

To Know Old Town's Past Is to Hope for Its Future

My grandmother’s Old Town was a vibrant, bustling place for all. Despite what handwringers say, it still is.

04/07/2025 By Lauren Yoshiko

Essay

He's Thought about This Death of a Houseless Man Since 1987

A murder during Portland's homelessness surge three decades ago tells us about the city today. A writer has wrestled with his proximity to it ever since.

09/23/2023 By Bill Donahue Illustrations by katherine lam

Urban Life

How to Actually Interact with Houseless Neighbors

Be respectful, practice kindness, and say ‘knock-knock.’

09/21/2023 By Hannah Wallace

Helping Others

How One Portland Neighborhood Partnered with a Homeless Encampment

Faced with an influx of homeless neighbors, a Southeast Portland neighborhood association got creative.

09/21/2023 By Hannah Wallace

Adult Contemporary

Portland Has a Branding Problem: John Mellencamp’s Portland Video Not Portland

A video for the rocker’s terrible song about the homelessness crisis in Portland shows South Central LA, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

05/17/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Real Estate

Many Portland Office Spaces Are Empty. Why Aren’t They Being Converted to Housing?

Money, regulations, and seismic upgrades are sticking points when it comes to turning offices into apartments.

01/25/2023 By Connor Radnovich

Light a Fire 2022: Best New Nonprofit

WeShine Builds Small Pod-Villages as an Alternative Approach to Homelessness Solutions

Microvillages, housing around a dozen people and small enough to fit into most any neighborhood, build community and give residents agency over their housing.

12/30/2022 By Matthew Trueherz

Light a Fire 2022: Extraordinary Executive Director

At Path Home, Brandi Tuck Is Anything but Shy

A college spring break service project turned into a career of bringing a trauma-informed approach to homelessness services.

12/30/2022 By Conner Reed

Light a Fire 2022: Giving Shelter

Bridges to Change Offers a Pathway to Recovery

The Oregon nonprofit brings wraparound services to those coming out of prison or houselessness.

12/29/2022 By Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Houselessness

A New Tiny-Home Village for the Houseless Is Opening Soon in Portland

But it's not run by the city.

08/15/2022 By Julia Silverman

Summer Reads

‘City Beautiful,’ a Short Story by Portland Writer Callum Angus

Looking for an offbeat beach read? We asked an Oregon Book Award–nominated author to tell us a story set in Portland in the summer of 2022.

07/01/2022 By Callum Angus Illustrations by Katie Leimbach

Transformations

The Jupiter Hotel Is Ready for Its Next Act

For the past two years, the hotel had served as a quarantine space for COVID-positive people who were homeless. Now it's gotten a refresh and is ready for other hotel guests again.

06/16/2022 By Michelle Harris

Q & A

7 Questions for the Next Head of the Joint Office of Homeless Services

Shannon Singleton on why she said yes to one of the hardest jobs in town.

03/23/2022 By Julia Silverman

News

A Lot Is Riding on Portland Street Response’s Citywide Expansion

The path ahead has its obstacles, from bureaucracy to staying in touch with a very mobile population.

03/01/2022 By Karina Brown Illustrations by Daniel Fishel

Analysis

What's Next in Portland's Strategy for Houselessness?

Parsing the latest developments at a critical juncture in Portland's housing debate

02/25/2022 By Julia Silverman

Q&A

What to Know About Counting Portland's Houseless Population

The biannual tally helps secure state and federal dollars for homeless services. One outreach worker takes us through the process.

02/01/2022 By Karly Quadros

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories to Watch This Week, January 24–30

A census of the tricounty area's homeless population, final results from the Newberg school board election and Kristof v. Oregon briefs due in court

01/24/2022 By Julia Silverman

How to Help

As Cold Weather Bears Down, Help Is Needed in City Warming Shelters

Shelters are open throughout Multnomah County—but without volunteers, there's a limit to how many people they can serve

12/29/2021 By Cami Hughes