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A welcome mat

Supportive Housing

Catholic Charities of Oregon provides supportive housing in small settings at three locations: Martha & Mary House, Elizabeth House, and Holy Family House. Those locations are part of our larger permanent supportive housing initiative.

Creating & Supporting a Community of Women to Foster Companionship, Mutual Support, Healthy Living, Safety, and Economy

All supportive housing sites are owned or master-leased by Catholic Charities of Oregon and are used to assist self-identified women transitioning out of homelessness. Each site offers permanent housing with supportive services in a shared living environment. Residents at these locations have access to private rooms and shared bathrooms, kitchens, and other common living spaces.

To support their active roles in case management, residents of supportive living houses work closely with a resident assistant, who, in addition to providing a safe and stable environment for clients, is responsible for managing the property, overseeing house meetings, organizing and scheduling health education activities, and addressing issues as they arise. With the help of the resident assistant, clients establish their own communal expectations and responsibilities and come up with unique community agreements and house rules via consensus building at regular weekly meetings. Its core values are self-governance, independence, interdependence, healthy boundaries, and diversity.

All units are affordable and have housing case management focused on stability and retention. Other services available to residents include mental health, and financial wellness assistance as well as help acquiring benefits, employment training, and referrals to healthcare providers, legal services, and other important resources.

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A Legacy of Generosity: A History of the Martha & Mary House

Martha and Mary House is permanent, intentional co-housing for five formerly homeless women aged 60 years or older who are physically, mentally, and emotionally self -sufficient.

Until their passing in 2007 and 2009, respectively, Bob & Evelyn Dieringer served their community as true models of generosity. As longtime members of Holy Family and St. Ignatius Parishes, they were deeply engaged in parish life and took leadership roles at the churches and in archdiocese-wide projects. They served on boards and committees, including the Priests’ Retirement Campaign. Bob served on a special finance board at Mount Angel Abbey. Evelyn served her alma mater, St. Mary’s Academy in Portland. In later years, they brought communion to the elderly living in nursing homes.

In 2010, to honor their parents’ memory, Bob & Evelyn’s twelve children made the large family home available for Martha & Mary Hospice Ministry, a program that provided terminally-ill patients with dignified end of life care and support. The program closed in 2015, due to financial hardship.

After its closure, the Dieringer children decided to donate the family home to Catholic Charities of Oregon. The “new” Martha & Mary House opened in January 2017 and now provides permanent housing to senior women who were formerly homeless. In 2016, Catholic Charities of Oregon presented its annual Single Candle Award to the Dieringer Family in honor of their parents and brother, Tim Dieringer, who passed away in 2015.

The name—Martha and Mary—refers to the Gospel story in which sisters perform both physical and spiritual tasks and learn from Jesus that the spiritual is the greater part.

Three stuffed dogs on a couch

Elizabeth House

Elizabeth House provides co-housing for women over 50 years of age who are transitioning out of homelessness.

A brightly-lit kitchen

Holy Family House

Holy Family House is for women over 25 years of age, some with small children.

Elizabeth House Needs Your Help!

Please see the list of items we need to make Elizabeth House a comfortable place for women transitioning out of homelessness. We cannot accept any items that are not listed below. If you are able, delivering items directly to the house is preferred. For questions or to schedule a drop-off time, please contact Brianna Soriano via email at BSoriano@CCOregon.org or by calling (503) 929-5872.

Elizabeth House Needs

  • Four-slot toaster
  • Large table cloth
  • Placemats
  • Patio table and chairs
  • Indoor house plants
  • DVD player
  • Basic tool kit (hammer, nails, screwdriver, etc.)
  • Two (2) hose winders
Articles
Year-end housing finance changes benefit Healthy Housing Initiative projects
Housing Services

Year-end housing finance changes benefit Healthy Housing Initiative projects

Posted By | Travis Phillips, Director of Community Development & Housing
In its year-end pandemic relief and funding package, Congress delivered a surprise gift for affordable housing: wonky but noteworthy improvements to one of the most common methods of paying for affordable housing, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).
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Amid Pandemic, Catholic Charities' Dedicated Housing Entity Pledges Homes and Provides Rental Assistance
Housing Services

Amid Pandemic, Catholic Charities' Dedicated Housing Entity Pledges Homes and Provides Rental Assistance

Posted By | Travis Phillips, Director of Community Development & Housing
The COVID-19 pandemic and housing crisis in Oregon have created acute uncertainty, especially for those who are vulnerable to houselessness. Our dedicated housing entity, Caritas Housing, is taking steps to keep its residents comforted and sheltered.
Read More
Resident Services: Distanced but not Disconnected
Housing Services

Resident Services: Distanced but not Disconnected

Posted By | Sally Erickson, Supportive Services Manager
Through two major crises this year, the COVID-19 pandemic and Oregon wildfires, our resident services coordinators (RSCs) have served as our residents’ lifelines to critical resources like food, hygiene supplies, and information. Perhaps more profoundly, however, our staff has helped residents—many of whom live alone and depend on their housing communities—maintain the essential human connection…
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Housing (in)Stability
Housing Services

Housing (in)Stability

Posted By | Rose Bak, Chief Program Officer
In a region that has already experienced increasingly high rates of homelessness and instability over the last ten years, the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to impact our community for years to come. Catholic Charities’ Chief Program Officer, Rose Bak, illustrates the urgent need for more systemic supports for those experiencing, or who are vulnerable…
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Rose Bak