OUR JOURNEY
Houselessness not only affects low-income and marginalized members of society; it also impacts all individuals within a community and requires a community-wide response. To address these challenges, Just Compassion seeks to identify avenues to effectively share information, and develop opportunities for discussion and action for all.
OUR MISSION
Community-centered response
Since our inception in 2010, the mission of Just Compassion has been to provide a community-centered response to address the needs of unhoused and marginalized individuals. We achieve this by building relationships and striving towards a sense of wholeness. Our slogan “Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Known” is not only a guiding principle in our efforts to tackle the houselessness crisis but is deeply embedded in our company culture. Our objective is to understand issues by evaluating needs, actively listening to community voices, and turning those insights into action.
Our Journey So Far
2010
JUST COMPASSION IS FOUNDED
Just Compassion started as a one-a-month meeting to support, collaborate, and share resources with local community members who were helping those experiencing houslessness in Tigard and the greater Washington County. The goal was to establish a robust network dedicated to delivering comprehensive services for unhoused individuals in the community - leading with compassion first!
2015
REGISTERED NON-PROFIT
Just Compassion of East Washington County became a registered 501(c)3 non-profit in the state of Oregon.
2016
DAY CENTER
Opened a weekly day center for adults experiencing houselessness at Tigard Foursquare Church. The day center was the first to operate within East Washington County.
2017
SEVERE WEATHER SHELTER
Starting in January of 2017, we partnered with the City of Beaverton to operate a "Severe Weather Shelter", to provide a warm, safe space during inclement weather events.
2017/2018
ACQUIRED PROPERTY IN TIGARD
Bought a 0.6-acre parcel of land on Hall Blvd. in Tigard. Converted one of the houses to be our main Resource Center and Shelter.
2019
Safe Parking Program
Providing individuals or families a safe and legal place to park their vehicles, while also obtaining access to sanitation services and consultation with case managers.
2020
The Pandemic
From day one, we saw the urgent need to expand our services and fast. We again partnered with the city and county to hire full-time staff and extend our operations. In 2020, we opened our resource center 24/7 year-round and provided overnight shelter for medically fragile and recently discharged hospital patients.
2021
ARPA Funding
Thanks to the outstanding efforts of State Representative Dacia Grayber and her team, we secured $4 million in ARPA funds to build our new Shelter/Campus in Tigard!
2021/2022
Case Management
With the passing of the Supportive Housing Services (SHS), we were able to hire case and rapid rehousing managers to work on securing individuals experiencing houslessness stable housing!
2023
Broke Ground
Broke ground on our new Campus in Tigard! The campus will increase the shelters overnight capacity to 60 individuals. As part of this expansion, we are broadening our range of services to include counseling, medical triage, housing assistance, ID and birth certificate recovery, as well as, resources for resume building and employment.
