Mission
Friends of Ours offers acts of loving kindness to help the most vulnerable in our North, Northeast, and inner Southeast Portland communities. This encompasses:
Homeowners and renters who need help communicating productively with the houseless around issues of parking, camping, garbage, and access to public spaces.
Houseless folks — especially veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and families — who live in tents, cars, or RVs.
Low-income friends who are housed — those aging in place, differently abled, or experiencing mental health challenges — yet struggle to maintain their yards and homes, experience food scarcity, and are otherwise in need of assistance.
Houseless and low-income families that need a boost to provide both necessities (winter coats and shoes) and extras (holiday gifts and treats) for their children.
Vision
We believe in a world that honors in the inherent dignity of all human beings, where everyone has access to food, clothing, and shelter.
From Terrance
My belief in a better world and the inherent goodness and worthiness of all people keeps me motivated to do something tangible to help vulnerable folks rather than succumb to “compassion fatigue.” I created Friends of Ours to offer direct assistance, information, and advocacy while bringing comfort, relief, and hope to people who feel like they’re at the end of the road or who others perceive as a lost cause.
Consider donating to Friends of Ours to help relieve real suffering, both physical and emotional, in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors. So many of us are just one accident, one diagnosis, one business closure away from financial disaster. If you feel stable and comfortable enough to contribute, know that any amount has real impact in the neighborhoods where you live and work. With your support, we can continue to provide meals and cleanups, to make a family’s Christmas a merry one, and to offer the dignity that comes from care and conversation that respects our shared humanity. Hyperlocal. Loving kindness.