Catholic Charities of Oregon helps residents maintain their housing and thrive as members of our community.
Catholic Charities of Oregon helps residents maintain their housing and thrive as members of our community.
Our Resident Services team provides on-site, relationship-centered support and services
Across several of our properties in Portland, our Resident Services team is committed to ensuring every individual and family is deeply supported and connected to community.
Overview of Resident Services
The Resident Services team provides programs and services that enhance our residents’ lives and the communities where they live. Resident Services staff views residents as the drivers of their own future. We strive to create engaged and empowering relationships that increase trust, cooperation, and self-determination.
Resident Services Mission: By leveraging expertise and strategic partnerships, Resident Services builds vibrant communities where residents have access to resources to meet their needs for housing stability, self-reliance, and a sense of community.
Resident Service Coordinators in Action
Resident Service Coordinators (RSCs) work in most of the 23 affordable properties owned and managed by Catholic Charities of Oregon. RSCs assist hundreds of families, individuals and couples, older adults, Veterans, as well as people with disabilities and people who have experienced chronic homelessness.
RSCs’ primary purpose is to support residents’ housing stability and to help build community within their property. They assess resident needs and interests, and they coordinate, refer and provide an array of social, educational, and community services and supports for residents. They also create and implement resident initiatives designed to promote and build leadership and inclusion in the development of the housing community, collaborating with site management staff, external service providers, and other agency staff. Their work can be described as both service navigation, as “light case management” for dozens of households at their designated properties, and they provide information and referrals to resources in the community.
At Kateri Park, Esperanza Court, Howard House, and Chiles House, resident services coordinators work with residents located on Catholic Charities of Oregon’ southeast Portland campus. Services are primarily for families and include a weekly food pantry, academic enrichment programs for preschool and school age children, English language instruction, family mentors, citizenship, health promotion, school liaison, and family advocacy, among other services.
Caritas Villa, Caritas Plaza, Sacred Heart Villa, and St. Francis Park serve older adults and people with disabilities. On-site services include a monthly food pantry, help accessing health-related services, ongoing education about self care and managing chronic illness, as well as events and activities to inspire residents to continue participating in outside activities, volunteer as they are able, and manage their fixed incomes.
Named in honor of community leader Gladys McCoy, the first African American elected to public office in Oregon, McCoy Village provides affordable housing for low-income families and seniors.
Health services offered through community partners are designed to help seniors remain in their communities for as long as they can. Additionally, resident services coordinators partner with family members and other community partners to provide neighborhood-based services.