Family Village Grand Opening!
This speech was originally given by PHFS Executive Director, Brandi Tuck, at the Grand Opening of Family Village in December 2019.
Photo by Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County.
Good evening everyone and welcome for the first time to PHFS’ Family Village!
The front of Family Village
Christopher Dibble Photography
After two long years of a capital campaign, a real estate purchase, and a massive remodel - It is an overwhelming moment for PHFS right now as we open this beautiful, innovative space.
I am honored to share this moment with all of you tonight.
We are trying to do something different here at Family Village.
We’re trying to show that there’s a better way to shelter – a way that helps people heal from the crisis and trauma of homelessness through building dignity, restoring power, and promoting autonomy.
I say those things all the time, but let’s talk about what they means.
Building dignity – means feeling like you matter. Like you have worth, acceptance, and love. It’s about being in collaborative relationships that focus on people’s strengths and expertise.
Restoring power – means being able to make your own decisions without having your behavior micromanaged or controlled. It’s about feeling like you’re in control of your own life and having privacy when you need it. It’s about feeling safe, both in your surroundings and in your relationships.
Promoting autonomy – is about respecting people and honoring their choices, even when you don’t agree with them. It’s about being able to express your family values, culture, and traditions openly and safely. It’s about setting and honoring boundaries and being in healthy relationships that are built on trust.
View from the Rec Room looking down on the day shelter
Christopher Dibble Photography
That’s what we’re trying to do here at this beautiful Family Village campus, the first shelter of its kind featuring trauma informed design and architecture.
Research shows that trauma informed design leads to better outcomes for shelters – things like shorter shelter stays and greater success moving into housing.
We are honored to open this innovative new program together with our PHFS Village.
To say that opening Family Village is a community effort is an understatement. We have had hundreds of people and businesses step up to help over the last two years.
When I walk into Family Village, I feel the love, good will, and positive energy that radiates through this campus because of all of your contributions.
Thanks to each and every one of you for your donations, commitment, and passion for this project. We really couldn’t have created Family Village without the help of every single person in this room.
There are too many people to thank by name, but I have to call in a few people today, because they went so far above and beyond in their commitment to PHFS’ Family Village.
First, Jessica Helgerson and her two right hand ladies Andra and Heather, have put 800 hours of pro bono interior and architectural design into Family Village. Jessica shared my vision of building dignity for families, and she have taken it to levels I never could have imagined. Thank you Jessica.
View of the walking path and pet play area
Next, to our landscape architect Cathy Corlett who designed all of our outdoor areas, also pro bono. Cathy put so much love and research into our exterior landscape – focusing on elements that create joy, play, and connection.
Plus Cathy picked up a lot of the pieces for us when we just didn’t have capacity to think about many of the minute details.
Drew Anderson and Afton Walsh from Walsh Construction came in and lent a gentle, professional expertise that really helped save the day. We are so grateful that you stepped in to help, and I hope you know how much we appreciate you. Drew – you are my hero.
The folks at Stoel Rives including Mark, Geoff, Michael, and Kirk put so much time, love, and money into Family Village. We’ll never be able to thank you enough, especially Mark Morford, for building our fence and making our conference table, for putting in stair tread and painting ceilings, and hanging pictures, and anything we have asked of you.
Thanks to Ted, Jacob, and Curtis at Maul Foster Alongi who provided pro bono engineering help and so much patient guidance along the way. Everything I know about stormwater bioswales I learned from you.
Thanks to Andrea, Brian, and Corey from Carleton Hart Architecture for all of your guidance and help along the way.
Library
Christopher Dibble Photography
Thanks to Chris, Brenda, Kyle, and everyone involved with the Home Builders Foundation. You all pulled of quite a bit of miracles, many of them last-minute, and we appreciate your partnership.
Thank you to Heritage Bank, especially Kathy Swift and Emily Leach, for sponsoring this event tonight, and for your 2-years of support to help make this project happen. Kathy always says to reach out when you need her, and wow have we reached out!
She not only helped us buy our Moon Shot property, but she also does things like make potpourri sachets from dried roses that grow at Family Village. We appreciate everyone at Heritage Bank!
Thanks to Clear Water Construction Services including Dale, Phil, and CJ. We have had one helluva ride together, and I really appreciate you – especially Dale – sticking it out with us the whole way. This building is absolutely beautiful, and we are so grateful for your skilled craftmanship and hard work.
Thanks to all the volunteers who stepped up to help paint, install plants, stain the fence, paint the murals, put together furniture, break down cardboard, and so much more.
Thanks to Renee Gorham for providing our delicious Shalom Y’all catering tonight.
Thanks to Nancy Ives, the first chair cello from the Oregon Symphony, for gracing us with your beautiful music this evening.
One of four living rooms
Christopher Dibble Photography
Our PHFS Board has gone above and beyond in their commitment to this project. They have provided unrelenting support and belief in me and the staff, and they have been there with us every single step of the way. Thank you for being the most amazing board I could hope for.
And finally – thanks to our PHFS staff for all your wisdom in creating Family Village, and also your flexibility and patience during our very long transition when we felt like the pit in the middle of the parking lot would never go away.
Some people have stepped up in some major ways over the last few weeks, and I can’t say thank you enough for your hard work, your long hours, your creativity, flexibility, collaboration, and love that you put into PHFS and our Family Village. I have endless thanks and so much love for Ron, Bethany, Emma, Tasha, TC, and Kurt. Plus Michael, Danny, Derenda, Neal, and Wiley. We did it.
To have a vision, and then have a whole community get behind your vision, and then to have Jessica Helgerson take it to even the next level – is and will always be one of the greatest honors of my life.
Thank you so much to each and every one of you for helping make our Family Village a reality.
All content is the intellectual property of Portland Homeless Family Solutions. We respectfully request anyone who wishes to use this information ask permission, or reference PHFS when using it.
Thanks to the generosity of Christopher Dibble Photography for taking these beautiful photos pro-bono.
