Thanks to a large injection for short-term funds from A Home for Everyone, a joint initiative of the City of Portland and Multnomah County, Bradley Angle has been able to help 24 survivors of domestic violence move into new, safe, and affordable housing in the last six weeks.

Talia was one of the survivors we served through this program. She had moved into our shelter almost four months ago.  (The average length of stay in our shelter is now about 90 days, 40% higher than it was 18 months ago, due to the Portland Housing Crisis.)

Talia had a hard time getting housing for a few reasons. As a single mom her budget is limited. She needed a two-bedroom apartment for less than $1,000/month in rent.

Also, when she told her abuser that their relationship was over, he got increasingly violent and manipulative. He emptied their bank accounts in hopes that she would become dependent on him and change her mind about breaking up. One night, after she moved her things into their son’s room, he smashed in their son’s door to scare and intimidate her. These abusive acts meant that Talia didn’t have money to pay their bills when they came due, which quickly led to her and her son’s eviction from the damaged property.

So, in addition to a limited budget, Talia had an eviction and rental debt on her record.

Because our staff have relationships with private landlords, Talia was able to help the person who is now her landlord to understand her eviction was a consequence of the abuse she endured and not indicative of the kind of tenant she would be. Bradley Angle also made a grant to Talia to pay her rental debt, so her credit score will start to improve.

Now that Talia’s settling into her new apartment, she’s looking forward to enrolling in our Economic Empowerment Program to learn more about her money and career options.