ANNOUCEMENTS
OREGON 2021 LGBTQ+ OLDER ADULT REPORT
As one of the co-founding members of the LGBTQ Aging Coalition and Chair of the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services, Our House’s Executive Director Mary Rita Hurley presented to the State and Governor Brown the importance on collecting valuable data for senior citizens in the state of Oregon. The study, which was the first of its kind in Oregon, sought detailed input from adults 55 and older on the needs and supports of Oregon’s LGBTQ+ older adults. Survey participants were also asked to highlight strengths within the state’s various LGBTQ+ communities.
Nearly 60% of older adults ̶who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two Spirit and non-binary as well as sexual or gender diverse (LGBTQ+) report experiencing discrimination within the past year and 24% experienced abuse.
Friends and Supporters,
We wanted you to be the first to know about some exciting news between Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) and Our House of Portland (Our House).
CAP and Our House have been working in partnership for over 30 years. Together, our two organizations have been exploring how an integration of our programs, services, and administrative operations might maximize our collective capacity to serve people living with, and affected by, HIV in every stage of life, throughout Oregon and SW Washington.
We aim to create a streamlined continuum of healthcare and support services, thus promoting well-being and advancing equity for people affected by HIV and AIDS, LGBTQ+ people, and all those seeking compassionate care. In doing so, we also reduce overall cost to the system.
For nearly four decades, HIV and AIDS has continued to evolve, and our organizations have transformed and become nimbler and more adaptable in response to the needs of our community. Coming out of last year, we know now more than ever it is important that we have a strong yet flexible infrastructure in place to tackle complex care at all stages of life for our clients. We believe that our history of collaboration and resource-sharing, the alignment of the populations we serve, and our combined vision all provide a foundation for an even stronger and more unified organization.
So, the Board of Directors of each organization are currently doing their due diligence and actively exploring options for an innovative and sustainable partnership. We will know more in the months ahead, but we wanted you to be among the first to know about this exploration.
We will be announcing several opportunities for you to join the leadership of both organizations to learn more about this journey ahead, but in the meantime, we wanted to share with you this important organizational update.
Tyler & Mary Rita
THANK YOU to everyone who joined the Our House Ambassador Council for Destigmatizing HIV Care: Panel Q&A. We had incredible panelists join us for an evening full of important information and conversation starters to continue learning more.
This virtual event would not have been as successful without our all-star moderator Ken Houseman (Co-Chair, Our House Ambassador Council), our passionate Ambassador Council, panel of expert providers, and support from volunteers who believe in our mission.
Were you unable to join us last night? You can watch the recoding of the evening’s content at the link below.
We hope to see you next time!
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