Children and families at the Couch Street Women's Houses were overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity shown by Multnomah County employees during a recent holiday donation drive. Sponsored by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, the donation drive generated much-needed clothing, toys, household items, and toiletries.
Karen Rhein, Policy Coordinator, organized the drop-off areas and created the gift tags describing the requested items. Heather McIntosh, Corrections Counselor, helped distribute the items amongst the families, “It was amazing to see how much care people took in choosing the gifts.
The donated items really matched the description and made the experience very personal for our families” One popular gift item was board games for the children which were quickly put to good use and encouraged quality family time. “One mother told me she had the best Christmas of her life. Her son received a Jenga game and they played together throughout the entire school vacation”, added McIntosh
The donation drive also helped raise awareness of a small but successful program administered by the Department of Community Justice. Couch Street Women’s Program assists mothers with a history of addiction and criminality as they transition from inpatient treatment back into the community. Couch Street serves a vital role in the community by serving as one of only two transitional housing programs in Portland that accepts children of both genders, up to 18 years of age. Families can access intensive case management, group sessions, and parenting classes. All parents are required to take a budgeting class, seek employment or job training, pay off their debts, and remain clean and sober.
Women who have left Couch Street successfully in the last five years are now working as drug and alcohol counselors, case managers, and in the healthcare industry. Many leave the program with a desire to give back to the community and find employment with other transitional housing programs. Most are self-sufficient, and some have gone on to become successful home owners.