November 12, 2020 | Flip the Script: A Fresh Take on Ending Our Homeless Crisis

September 30, 2020November 13, 2020 Oregon Health Forum

Despite political focus and public investment, the number of people without housing in Oregon continues to grow — up 25% in the past two years in Portland for families and youth — with COVID-19 exacerbating the crisis. Many experts believe it’s time to overhaul our current approach. Learn about an innovative proposal to allocate dramatically more resources for homeless and unaccompanied youth — two-thirds of whom go on to become permanently homeless as adults. Register today for this assumption-challenging discussion, and see if we can reduce the number of adults who are homeless on Oregon’s streets over the next decade.

Moderator:

Doug Riggs, has spent the past 20 years working on children’s programs. He has worked extensively on child welfare and foster care issues, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and implementing Trauma Informed Practices. He has coordinated with education groups, health groups, housing experts, and mental/behavioral groups to convene conferences and turn concepts for reform into legislative and administrative policy and state statutes. Doug is also the former co-chair of the Washington County Commission on Children and Families.

Doug Riggs can be reached at: doug@ngrc.com.

Speakers:

Savina Zuniga- I am a 20-year-old Native American woman and I experienced houselessness on and off from ages thirteen to eighteen. I’ve lived in Portland my whole life, but I’ve never lived in one place for more than 2 years. I was on the verge of dropping out of high school my sophomore year to support family and myself after receiving an eviction notice. Then, a school counselor told me about Second Home. Second Home provided me the contact of a potential home provider and two days after meeting her I moved into a safe, stable home for a year and a half. I graduated a year early from Beaverton High school in 2017. I will dive into more detail about how racial background and family addiction contributes enormously to my story and how those issues can be addressed.

Savina Zuniga can be reached at Savinazuniga99@gmail.com.

Tricia Frizzell, Oregon native with a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences and a master’s degree in education. Tricia has 15 years of experience working in positive youth development programs and community engagement, and officially began working youth experiencing homelessness in 2013, becoming the director of HOME Youth Services in 2014. While serving as Director Tricia has expanded services for minor youth in her community and championed local efforts to embed youth within systems to end homelessness for all. Tricia is a member of the Oregon Homeless Youth Advisory Committee and a board member for the Oregon Alliance for Children, Families and Communities. Personally, Tricia comes from a large multiracial family who together has provided a temporary home for over 50 children in foster care and a permanent family for 5 through adoption. As the first in her family to graduate college and working her way through various odds, she values the opportunity to amplify the voices that are often discounted.

Tricia Frizzell can be reached at tricia.frizzell@mwvcaa.org.

Barbera Duffield is Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection. For more than 20 years, she has bridged policy and practice in early care, education, housing, and homelessness. Barbara began her career as a tutor for children experiencing homelessness in Washington DC in 1990. She was the Director of Education for the National Coalition for the Homeless from 1994-2003, where she collaborated with service providers, educators, federal agencies, and Congressional offices to address children’s issues. She served as the Director of Policy and Programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth in Washington D.C from 2003-2016, leading national efforts to strengthen federal protections and services for children and youth experiencing homelessness, from early childhood through higher education. Barbara helped to establish and develop the NAEHCY Scholarship Program, a comprehensive scholarship program for youth who have experienced homelessness and wish to pursue higher education. She has conducted technical assistance trainings, authored policy reports, appeared on television and radio shows, and has been quoted by various media outlets such as The New York Times and Education Week. Her academic work can be found in Educational Studies, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. Barbara has served on numerous commissions and advisory groups, including for Sesame Street Workshop and the National Commission on Children and Disasters education group. She received her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Political Science from the University of Michigan.

Barbera Duffield can be reached at Barbara@schoolhouseconnection.org.

Andrew Hoan is the president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. Prior to joining the Alliance, Andrew was president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Before his tenure at the Brooklyn Chamber, he served in the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President where he directed capital spending and economic development policy. Andrew moved to New York through participation in a national service year as an AmeriCorps VISTA, helping indigent New Yorkers seek free civil legal help, and went on to develop corporate programming for the largest provider of homeless services in New York City, Volunteers of America. Andrew was an appointee to several agencies and authorities throughout his career, and currently serves on Mayor Ted Wheeler’s Council of Economic Advisors, Metro Council President Lynn Peterson’s President’s Council, All Hands Raised board of directors, Oregon Business & Industry board of directors, Multnomah County’s Preschool for All Taskforce, and serves as co-chair of Commissioner JoAnn Hardesty’s Small Business Committee, treasurer of the Portland Economic Investment Corporation’s board of directors, and professional advisor for Travel Portland. He holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s in urban planning from New York University. A Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, his wife, Karina, is a doctor at Portland Clinic and they live with their sons, Theo and Rocco, in Northwest Portland.