Portland Impact’s mission is to help people achieve and maintain
self-sufficiency and to prevent and alleviate the effects of poverty.

Portland Impact is one of Portland’s premier social service providers, helping over 40,000 low-income children, families, Seniors, and adults with disabilities yearly, through our comprehensive array of prevention and intervention services, addressing poverty on every level with the goal of improving our client’s quality of life and giving them the tools to achieve independence.

Parent Child Development Services (PCDS)
– Giving our youngest community members the skills to attain a successful life.

PCDS is founded on the fundamental principle that parents are a child’s first and foremost teacher during this stage and throughout life. The program works with parents of children ages birth to five years to help them develop the skills they need to support their children’s learning and development. Additionally, children in the program receive immunization checks and are screened every six months in the four domains of development: communication, physical, social/emotional, and cognitive.

Parents of children under the age of three take part in fun, interactive classroom activities with their kids and receive support and instruction in areas such as nutrition, child development, and discipline. Parents of children between three and five years old participate in groups that concentrate on developing social skills, school readiness skills, and provide support for transition
to school.

Youth Programs – Helping Students Achieve is powerful prevention for intergenerational poverty.

Our youth programs, serve as an entry for families to access to Portland Impact’s array of services so that their children grow up in home environments that are safe and stable, and that contribute positively to their growth and development.

Portland Impact manages Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) programs in 10 public schools SUN programs work to increase student achievement, while transforming schools into community learning centers. From after school arts classes to individual tutoring to services for school families, Portland Impact’s SUN programs are changing lives.

Portland Impact’s Mentoring to Achieve Potential (MAP) program builds relationships between dedicated volunteers from the community and youth ages 5-14. By connecting school-age youth with volunteer mentors, MAP helps young people improve their success in school, self-esteem, and life skills, and reduce risky behaviors such as drug abuse and violence.

For middle and high school students, Portland Impact’s Youth Development program offers involvement in activities that support their efforts to complete their
high school education, avoid substance abuse, set goals for the future, and gain skills for success.

Safety Net Services - Providing fulfillment of basic needs, while offering linkages to programs and services designed to support independence and economic self-sufficiency.

Our staff works with families to develop a support plan, which identifies goals and strategies designed to help them succeed in all facets of life. Last year these services impacted the lives in over 12,000 Households

Clients who receive these services often become participants in Portland Impact’s longer term programs such as PCDS, SUN and youth development. Families looking to move away from homelessness participate in the Homeless Families program. Portland Impact operates drug and alcohol free transitional housing facility in SE Portland where families receive on-site family support, employment training, parenting and other skill-building services.

Through our Energy Assistance program, nearly 6,000 households a year receive cash assistance for electric, gas, oil, water and sewer utility bills. Portland Impact staff work with families to provide access to other services that support their independence and economic self-sufficiency.

Families who are homeless receive critical support through our Emergency Housing Assistance program. Through vouchers for short-term motel stays, placement in local shelters and direct rent assistance, Portland Impact helps families while they work to move out
of homelessness.

Community Involvement -Volunteers are the lifeblood of Portland Impact. Last year, 2,100 volunteers contributed 42,314 hours of their time. Faith groups, local businesses, schools and individuals all played a critical role in increasing the number of clients that Portland Impact serves.

Our Community Involvement programs empower local community members to solve poverty-related issues through volunteer participation. As a result, the organization’s services become more visible in the community, and community members and clients are encouraged and supported in becoming more involved with their neighbors in need. Groups perform tasks like cleaning and fixing yards for our community’s senior citizens, distribute food at our twice monthly Community Food Basket, and volunteer at our special events.

On an individual level, volunteers assist seniors through weekly friendly visits to their homes and by serving as drivers to help seniors attend medical appoints and go on shopping trips. School-based programs such as MAP and SUN rely on the talents and dedication of hundreds of volunteers.

Senior Services & Adults with Disabilities - People living in the later stages of life and individuals with disabilities can thrive when they are able to remain in their own homes. Our services for seniors and adults with disabilities are giving people the support they need to be healthy, active engaged members of our community.

Every week, hundreds of seniors and adults with disabilities come to the Portland Impact’s Multicultural Center in SE Portland to take part in organized activities such as bingo games, exercise and wellness classes, and for healthy meals provided by partner agencies. These activities provide seniors with social opportunities that reduce feelings of isolation and depression, while also providing an opportunity for them to become aware of other services provided by Portland Impact.

Portland Impact’s Transportation program provides transit and escort to seniors and adults with disabilities to help them attend medical appointments, and go shopping for food and essential items, and attend community events that enhance their interest in and quality of life.

Community volunteers participate in our Friendly Visitors program, which provides companionship and support for an isolated elderly person or an adult with disabilities. Volunteers visit once a week, phone regularly, encourage recreation or involvement outside the home and assist with shopping for groceries and other personal needs.

If you are interested in supporting Portland Impact through a financial contribution, a business partnership or by volunteering your time, please call us at (503) 988-3660 ext.22975. Please help us as we continue to build a community of support.

PORTLAND IMPACT 7211 SE 62nd Avenue Portland, OR 97206 WWW.PORTLANDIMPACT.ORG