OHCA Spring/Summer 2016

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The Oregon Caregiver Spring/Summer 2016 10
J ason needed medication. He also needed the bare bones
basics, such as a room with windows and easy access
to food. Living with HIV/AIDs and also suffering from
brain trauma, Jason was ready to die. Jason’s case manager
referred him to Our House of Portland. He qualified for the
Neighborhood Housing and Care Program. Through the
cutting-edge care and support he received at Our House,
Jason now has a family, a job, and a much happier and
healthier lifestyle.
When Wayne Miya became executive director of Our House
of Portland, an organization with the vision to “inspire
people with HIV to live well,” the organization was just
beginning to think about starting a new program that would
follow people who were leaving residential care facilities and
give them support to gain independence in the community.
Miya said, “As we began the program, we found out more
and more that it really was a basic need of many of the people
leaving residential care facilities.” This became the Our
House Neighborhood Housing and Care
Program in 2005.
“It was initially funded by a grant from
HUD (Department of Housing and
Urban Development),” said Miya, who
retired from Our House earlier this
month. In addition to the base money
from the HUD grant, Our House of
Portland used funding from auctions
and donations from supporting
foundations to build their residential
care facility and pull together a cohesive
program that used occupational
therapy, nursing, and social work to
provide intensive care to people in
order to provide independence in the
community.
In 2010, the Neighborhood Housing
and Care Program won an innovation
Innovating Transitions to Independence
OUR HOUSE of
PORTLAND
Our House CMA Troy pulls meds for resident Anthony.
award from the Department of Human Services. Afterward,
Our House of Portland put in place a plan to gain
more sustainable funding. “With the help of OHCA we
approached Care Oregon, Family Care, Kaiser, and then
the legislature to really show what the program could do
to save money and be in concert with the new health care
transformation that was happening,” said Miya.
The plan was a success, and the funding came through.
Because of the types of funding Our House of Portland
receives, and because they don’t depend on Medicare or
Medicaid, the organization can offer life improvements that
aren’t typical. “It gives us the ability to do many different
things that we need to help our clients succeed, and allows
us to do different types of visits as well,” he said. Some
purchases for the Neighborhood Housing and Care Program
wouldn’t be allowed under Medicare funding, like air-
conditioners and safety equipment.