Serving our local communities has been a focus since our founding. It’s core to our culture. This commitment to our communities reflects the shared values of our employees. Through our Uplift program, we leverage our business acumen, problem-solving skills, and time and resources to support nonprofit organizations.
As we approach the end of the year, when many focus on giving, we reached out to a few of our Uplift partners to learn more about their mission, their work, and what seasonal giving means to them.
Here’s a conversation with Brandi Tuck, the Executive Director at Path Home in Portland, Oregon.
Q: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us! Can you tell us about the mission of Path Home and your role within the organization?
Thank you so much for having me! At Path Home, our work is deeply rooted in the belief that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home. Our mission is to empower families with children to get back into housing – and stay there. I have served as Path Home’s executive director for the past 16 years and have never been more hopeful than I am today that we will end the cycle of homelessness for local families. Our innovative team has designed a model that works: 87% of families retain housing long-term.
Q: Where can the community see your team’s work in action?
Path Home’s work and values are embodied in our Family Village, a shelter in the Lents neighborhood of SE Portland. It is the first shelter in Oregon that features trauma-informed design and architecture, which is shown to help families heal from the crisis and trauma of homelessness and leads to better outcomes like shorter shelter stays and greater success moving into housing. Here, you'll see our team working lovingly to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere, ensuring that families have the support they need to regain their stability and independence. Last year, Path Home supported 67 families in shelter, and 96% of them moved back into permanent housing.
Q: This year, Uplift sought partnerships with nonprofits addressing inequality. Could you share a little about how your organization is working to reduce inequality and some of the key programs or initiatives you’ve implemented to support that mission?
Path Home operates five main programs that support families from crisis to stability:
- Street Outreach connects families who are literally outside with mainstream shelter and housing resources.
- Family Village Shelter provides shelter to 17 homeless families with children at a time.
- Rapid Re-Housing helps families move from homelessness to housing and then provides long-term housing retention support to help families keep their housing long-term.
- Homeless Prevention offers rental assistance to families who are about to lose their home through eviction so they never have to experience homelessness.
- Basic Income Guarantee supports families with $575 a month for two years to promote autonomy.
Last year, Path Home provided services to 524 families - about 1,900 kids and parents. We actively work with local agencies and community partners to advocate for policies that address the systemic issues contributing to homelessness. Path Home believes that addressing the root causes is essential to making a lasting impact.
Q: We know many nonprofits are supported by individual donors. Can you tell us the impact seasonal giving has on Path Home?
That is very true for Path Home! We intentionally limit our government funding to about 40% of our total revenue, compared to 80% to 95% for similar organizations, so that we have the flexibility to implement evidence-based programs that we believe in, like homelessness prevention. The holiday season is when most of the community is thinking about giving, and we rely on that spirit of generosity to keep our critical programs strong.
Q: Anything else you think our readers should know?
There is a solution to homelessness: housing. The Housing First Model Path Home follows is an evidence-based solution that is proven to end homelessness by quickly moving people back into housing and subsidizing their rent. With your support, we can make sure every child and adult has a home for good. We must prioritize housing as a basic right, recognizing that home is more than a physical space – it is a foundation to build a healthy, thriving community.
# About Uplift
Serving our local communities has been a focus since our founding. This commitment to community and corporate responsibility reflects the shared values of our employees. Through our Uplift program, our people can do good work in their communities and make a lasting impact by leveraging their business acumen and problem-solving skills to support nonprofit partners. We uplift organizations through pro bono strategy, professional development, and direct service.
We’re always seeking ways to engage with our local communities. Whether you need help solving a complex problem with pro bono project support, seek volunteers for a project or event, or would benefit from brief mentorship — the Uplift team is devoted to supporting our communities.
