Overview of the Center

The Center, located at NW 6th and Couch in Portland’s Old town, is the heart and hub of our outreach and education programs. It is a gathering place for several support groups and meetings, as well as our volunteers and students before and after their neighborhood visiting. It is also a safe place for those struggling with the day-to-day chaos of life in our neighborhood. It is a place where a cup of coffee and a simple “how are you today?” can break through the haze of pain and suffering and bring relationships, community and support.

We often speak about our work at the Center, not in terms of what we do, but in the way that we do it. Often in our neighborhood, the need is so great, and the resources so limited, that people get lost in the shuffle of lines and caseworkers and service providers. The Center is a place where we hope we can remember to see the person first, to welcome them by name and offer them our hospitality. The gift of this is that we also receive the hospitality of our friends in the neighborhood when our volunteers and students visit them in their homes.

In addition to building relationships, the Center also works to honor all aspects of life for our community. Monthly birthday parties celebrate life amidst suffering and pain. Activities like our summer trip to Wildwood Recreation Site on Mt. Hood invite our friends out of the concrete of downtown and into the woods to relax. Easter and Christmas bring gift baskets and much love. Spirituality groups, AA and OA groups, and individual counseling support the whole person as people try to not only survive but thrive in our neighborhood. And when members of our community reach the end of their life, we gather together to honor them with a memorial service. We remind their mourning community that they will not be forgotten.

Our Outreach Visiting Program

Our Outreach Visiting Program invites volunteers and students, in teams of two, to visit residents of Old Town each week in their single room occupancy (SRO) hotel rooms. Our hope is to break down isolation and build community; to invite authentic relationships and mutual dignity and respect. We consider our visits “agenda-free” – we meet our friends where they are and journey with them wherever life may take them. We talk about everything from the weather and their health needs to struggles with neighbors and their hopes for the future. We call this way of being our “Care not Cure” Model and find it helps open doors to many locked hearts and closed spirits. When our folks know that others care about them just as they are, they begin to believe for themselves that they are worth it, they can do it, and someone will be there to support them along the way.

If you would like more information about how to get involved in our Outreach Program, please see our Volunteer Opportunities or contact Sarah Knuth at 503-222-5720 ext. 4 or sk@macdcenter.org.

Our Education, Research and Ministry Preparation Programs
Orientation and training is offered throughout the year. Our Education Program provides a site for students to learn from the best teachers – those who are personally experiencing poverty, disability, mental illness, addiction and isolation. Nursing programs, university classes and seminaries invite students to participate in our Outreach Visiting Program for 6-10 weeks or more and allow them to build relationship with our neighborhood friends. We are gifted with the new energy and expertise of our students. Students also provide much-needed research related to urban poverty, spiritual needs, health, wellness, and justice.

We are currently partnering with the following programs to bring students to our community. For more information, please contact Marylee King at 503-222-5720 ext. 3 or mk@macdcenter.org.

Nursing Programs
University of Portland: Mental Health and Community Health
Clackamas Community College: Mental Health
Oregon Health Sciences University: Community Health
Linfield College: Mental Health

Social Justice and Community Programs
Portland State University Capstone Classes
Portland State University School of Social Work

Ministry Preparation Programs
Mt. Angel Seminary
Oregon Province of Jesuits
Franciscan Friars of California
Congregation of Holy Cross
Marylhurst University
University of Notre Dame