News

(Portland, Ore.) October 25, 2010 – The Portland Children's Levy awarded its first Leverage Fund Collaboration Grant to Portland State University's Regional Research Institute in partnership with Impact NW and Catholic Charities. The $100,000 three-year investment, along with $225,000 from the Gates Foundation, will pilot trauma recovery services for high-need families.

“The project has the potential to increase the stability, safety, and well-being of some of the most vulnerable families in the community, those who have experienced severe trauma across their life spans and are at high risk for homelessness and future trauma,” said Diane Yatchmenoff, director of the PSU Regional Research Institute for Human Services (RRI).

The project will provide a group based program in case management services annually for three years to 30 mothers at risk for homelessness who have a history of trauma. The goal is to increase coping skills for the mothers, stabilize housing for their families and reduce the risk of abuse/neglect for their children. The families reside in two low-income housing sites in East Portland: Esperanza Court and Richmond Place. 
 

“We’re excited to be joining with PSU and the expertise it brings to this issue, along with other community partners in bringing about real and sustained changes for this vulnerable population,” said Portland Children’s Levy Allocation Chair and City Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

The RRI conducts research and evaluation with the goal of improving peoples’ lives, human services, supports, and policies.  Located within the School of Social Work at Portland State University, the RRI has provided evaluation and research services since 1972. For more information go to www.rri.pdx.edu.

About Portland State University

Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 49-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 125 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.

About the Portland Children’s Levy

The Portland Children's Levy, formerly the Children's Investment Fund, was created by city voters in 2002 and overwhelmingly renewed by the electorate in Fall 2008. The Levy is supported through a five-year property tax projected to generate more than $12 million annually toward proven programs across the city serving 16,000 children and their families. The Levy is annually audited and administrative costs do not exceed 5 percent.
For more information, go to www.portlandchildrenslevy.org