Economic Justice, Workforce Development, and Youth Employment
- Led successful advocacy for increasing wages for frontline contracted workers and secured additional 2% wage increase in the 2023 budget, which was sustained in the 2024 budget.
- Convened Multnomah County Board letter in support of federal PRO Act.
- Led partnership with Portland Community College to expand and relocate a community health clinic that is now the Opportunty Center on 42nd Ave, which combines workforce training with social support services.
- Facilitated $1 million in County ARP funding for a first time contract with Microenterprise Services of Oregon (MESO), which provides training and resources to micro-entrepreneurs.
- Convened partners, led restructuring, and secured $150,000 increase for SummerWorks youth employment program.
- Secured $1 million in ARP funding for youth employment programs targeted at crime prevention.
- Created pilot program offering $100K in stipends for African Americans engaging in supervision programming after exiting incarceration, with an objective to increase self-control, self-management and problem solving skills by offering culturally-specific services and connecting with positive role models.
- Secured $150K for expungement services for people who have served their time in the criminal justice system.
- Secured Multnomah County Board support for the Oregon Cares Fund, which provided cash grants to Black individuals, Black-owned businesses, and Black-led non-profit organizations who had experienced financial adversity due to COVID-19
Homelessness
- Advocated for Long Term Rental Assistance at state and local level: LTRA is now increasingly understood as a significant component of Multnomah County’s affordable housing and homelessness agenda, which was not the case five years ago.
- Convened 1st ever Multnomah County Board briefing on LTRA
- Wrote Oregonian Op-ed in support of statewide rental voucher program
- Lobbied state legislators
- Funded LTRA pilot project
- Served on Advisory Committee for successful Here Together ballot measure, which funded supportive housing services
- Secured $2 million to provide additional rent assistance and flexible client assistance for providers who serve people in shelters. Of that, $500,000 will go to Cascade AIDS Project in an expansion of their work with the Joint Office of Homeless Services
- Advocated for Safe Parking Sites for those living in vehicles, which was eventually included as one of Portland’s Safe Rest Villages.
- Secured $650,000 to fund mobile shower facilities and culturally specific peer services to support people moving from the streets to congregate shelter or Safe Rest Villages.
- Expanded Project Respond to provide wrap around services for youth experiencing behavioral health issues.
- Increased property tax exemption threshold for mobile home owners, preventing them from being priced out of one of the most affordable housing options in Multnomah County.
- Prevented eviction of residents at El Rancho mobile home park.
- Secured $830,000 to create a new Trans and Queer Supportive Housing Services Center. Includes an additional $500,000 each for Black and Beyond the Binary Collective and Quest Center to provide rent assistance and help services better reach BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ households facing eviction
- Secured funds to create a new North Portland Day Services Center
- Increased Funding for recovery and transitional housing, as well as eviction legal defense and rent assistance
- Led formation of a new partnership to centralize landlord recruitment and retention to expand inventory of housing units available to people exiting homelessness
Public Safety
- Convened partners in Cully neighborhood to develop community-led strategies for improving public safety in response to gun violence; With support of community partners, secured $2 million federal grant to create and implement community-led, non-policing strategies to improve public safety in Cully.
- Secured funding for two neighborhood District Attorneys (Multnomah Attorney Access Project) in FY23; and an additional DDA in North Portland in FY24.
- Received 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from Bradley Angle for work supporting survivors of domestic violence.
- Secured $350,000 from City of Portland to support services for victims of sex trafficking.
- Secured funding for Rise and Thrive Collaborative and flexible cash assistance for survivors of domestic violence.
- Advocated for better behavioral health services, medical treatment, housing and employment for those exiting current criminal legal system.
Climate Change/Sustainability
- Chaired OR Legislature’s Joint Task Force on supporting business in reducing diesel emissions; published report on potential revenue sources for supporting transition to clean diesel or alternative fuels.
- Served as co-chair of work group on wood smoke abatement, convened town hall on wildfire wood smoke pollution, and secured funding for additional staff for wood smoke curtailment program.
- Secured $500,000 in state ARP funding for wood stove replacement program.
- Co-sponsored report on risk posed by fuel tanks at Critical Infrastructure Hub. Work led to HB 1567, which requires owners of tanks to create contingency plans.
Immigrant, Refugee, and Culturally Specific Support
- Sponsored County’s first Immigrant Heritage Month proclamation.
- Secured funding for study of immigrant services and for first staff position focussed on immigrant and refugee services.
- Led advocacy for state’s $21 million investment in services for asylum seekers.
- Secured $250K for Center for Tribal Nations
- Advocated early for clear and consistent disaggregated data and equitable testing policy and services during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Co-wrote an Oregonian op-ed asking state to prioritize communities of color for COVID-19 testing
- Advocated directly with Oregon Health Authority
- Supported pop up test event at Hacienda CDC and additional culturally specific providers
- Provided testimony critical to securing financing for remodel of Jefferson High School, Portland’s historically Black high school
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