Watch: Stone Soup PDX and partners confront food and housing insecurity for seniors
Westmoreland’s Union Manor, located just off McLoughlin Boulevard in Southeast Portland, is something to behold. At six stories, nestled between a residential neighborhood and a major thoroughfare, it’s taller than any other building in sight. But it’s who lives inside that really sets it apart.
The building is both home and haven for seniors 62 and older who live in its nearly 300 apartments and studios. Built in 1966, it’s one of the largest affordable homes in the state. The manor was developed by Union Labor Retirement Association (ULRA), a nonprofit founded by leaders in Portland’s building trades movement to help provide affordable housing and services for seniors.
And community is at the heart of it all.
“We have coffee time that we do on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 10 to get residents down here for that time, just to converse and get that community feel,” said Patti Blades, a resident of the building and activities organizer. “And then we have lunch.”
For many residents, securing housing at Westmoreland’s Union Manor, where there is often a waitlist, is a blessing.
“It’s community and getting in touch with other people your own age and spending time with them so that you're not so shut in because as you get older, that happens. It really does,” said Blades.
But even with the sense of community that Westmoreland’s Union Manor works so diligently to cultivate, Blades shares that life can still be “a heavy struggle” for residents, especially those on limited incomes.
“We have, you know, some people are only paying $150 rent because they don't have enough income to pay more,” said Blades.
Last February, with the help of Multnomah County’s Aging, Disability, and Veterans Services Division, Westmoreland’s Union Manor began hosting a free weekly meal with local nonprofit Stone Soup PDX. Stone Soup PDX is one of the only workforce development culinary training programs in the community, providing economic stability for people facing barriers to employment. Participants get hands-on training, in part by preparing meals for senior centers and housing and day centers, such as Multnomah County’s own Behavioral Health Resource Center.
“Portland is a food town, and there are plenty of places where our participants can go [after graduating the program],” said Ellen Damaschino, executive director of Stone Soup PDX. “We want to make sure they stay here — that they're settled, they have housing, they get jobs in Portland, and we make this community thrive.”
Stone Soup PDX provides nutritious well-rounded meals to Westmoreland’s Union Manor every Wednesday. Their rotating menu features healthy staples like fresh fruit, vegetables and proteins. Recently, they served a hearty lasagna to residents. Now residents like Blades are spreading the word about the service to senior centers.
“Older adults can be at higher risk for loneliness and experience food insecurity at high rates,” adds Lynn Schemmer-Valleau, a program manager for Multnomah County’s Aging, Disability, and Veterans Services Division. “As we age, maintaining social connection is vital for mental and physical health and gathering at a congregate meal site is a great way to address these issues.”
Multnomah County serves as an Area Agency on Aging, a federally designated organization that helps coordinate services and funding from the Older Americans Act to support older adults in remaining healthy, housed and connected. The County not only supports many people who live at Westmoreland’s Union Manor, it also partners with Stone Soup PDX, too.
“I love that our motto is ‘Enough to spare and share.’ That's what we are all about,” said Ellen Damaschino, executive director of Stone Soup PDX. “Feeding our community is really important to us.”
Stone Soup PDX’s training program runs for 12 weeks, during which participants earn a food handler’s permit while preparing meals for the community. Some of the participants who come through the program are seniors themselves — people looking for second careers after working their entire lives who now find themselves unable to afford the cost of living.
“Older adults are one of the most vulnerable populations,” said Damaschino. “They’re one of the highest populations that are on SNAP benefits, and they are at most risk. The fastest growing homeless population right now in the United States is seniors.”\
Recently implemented and anticipated federal policy changes have heightened concerns about food insecurity for seniors. Stricter Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility rules expanded work requirements to adults ages 18–64 (and in some cases up to 65). For Medicaid expansion enrollees (ages 19-64), new "community engagement" requirements that mandate 80 hours of work, training or volunteering per month are set to begin in January 2027. And Medicaid eligibility must be rechecked every six months starting with renewals scheduled on or after Dec. 31, 2026, increasing administrative workload and potentially affecting access to benefits for aging populations and mixed-age households.
“As a community, we value our seniors and want to honor them — many of whom have worked their entire lives and still struggle to make ends meet,” said Schemmer-Valleau.
“We are very proud of our work with Stone Soup PDX and Westmoreland’s Union Manor to provide any silver lining during these times.”
Damaschino recalled one participant in his 60s who had lost his job and didn’t have the skills needed for a new job.
“He came to our program, and did really well, and ended up working at a retirement community, " she said. “He felt so comfortable there. He felt like he belonged. That was his community.”
At Westmoreland’s Union Manor, that sense of belonging continues on, strong and sincere. Seniors care for and serve one another.
“It really warms your heart. It does,” said Blades. “It makes you feel very, very good. You feel very warm and happy that you helped somebody achieve what they needed.”