Gather:Make:Shelter

Mission

Gather:Make:Shelter actively create opportunities for people experiencing houselessness to participate in creative projects, develop new skills, access new revenue streams and employment opportunities, and advocate for solutions to houselessness that come from lived experience.

Bottom Line for Portland

We seek out community collaborations to bridge the gap between housed and unhoused Portlanders by inspiring meaningful human relationships that improve the lives of all Portlanders. To date we have worked with over 2800 people experiencing houselessness and poverty! 

Recent projects include:

Execution of “The Enchanted Forrest Murals “ that wrap the largest new safe rest village in SE Portland run by our amazing partner Cultivate Initiatives. This giantic work of art is inspired by the natural and magical environment of the Pacific NW and designed by the Gather:Make:Shelter Collective! Our intention with this project is to reverse the notion of Joni Mitchell’s famous lyrics, “They paved paradise / put up a parking lot” by creating paradise on a former parking lot that will bring joy and hope to the residents and neighborhood of Menlo Park.

This fall we launched The Monograph Project at Powells Bookstore! The Monograph Project highlights the work of individual artists and Collectives we have been working intimately with over the past 5 years designed in collaboration with Fahd Sadiq, one of the GMS collective artists who worked intimately with the artists to design all of the books! The launch of this ongoing project was accompanied by an exhibition at Powells with artists talks, poetry readings and original works of art for sale. 

For more events and informations, see www.gathermakeshelter.org

Quote

“Gather Make Shelter’s contributions to humanity cannot be fully comprehended because of how far their work resonates throughout the larger community. When we talk about basic needs, we hardly ever mention the need to express oneself. Even if we can take care of our bodily needs—sleep, food, warmth—we don’t include our human need for connection and expression. GMS supports marginalized people with the needs most other nonprofits don’t address. It is essentially human to create and express ourselves, cave paintings, ancient carvings, humans have always had the need to create. Gather Make Shelter provides a most important hub for marginalized folks to dream bigger than themselves, touch whole communities, and build a world we’d like to live in.”

–Tighearnan, Community Organizer

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Due to the effects of long-standing structural racism and colonization, minority groups are disproportionately likely to experience houselessness, and disproportionately vulnerable if they do. As an organization and as individuals we are committed to dismantling racism, colonialism, and discrimination in our communities and ourselves. We are proud to work with a kaleidoscope of people of diverse identities, and grateful for the experience, insight, imagination, and vibrancy of every individual.

We continue to seek equity in our organization by regularly evaluating our staffing and organizational policies; considering our actions in the context of our mission and this statement; committing to attitudes of love, openness, listening, and learning; and addressing issues honestly and in a timely manner.

We won’t always get it right, but we will work to make it right, because we do better together.

Incentives

Killian Pacific has generously offered to MATCH donations up to $3,500!

The first 50 people to donate $100 or more will receive a signed copy of one of our artist's book from The Monograph Project!

The first 10 people to donate $150 or more will receive a $50 gift certificate from Flipside Hats!

Stay tuned for a very special incentive we have been cooking up to be released mid-campaign… 

Business Partner(s)

We are so thankful to be collaborating with our wonderful partners:

-Killian Pacific who generously donated our Gather:Make:Shelter Headquarters space located in NW Portland. So many projects and programs have been made possible because of this space. Killian Pacific is a community-driven and thoughtful real estate company that aims to ignite a positive social impact in the community. Killian Pacific was named one of Oregons 100 Best Green Workplaces in 2022! 

-Flipside Hats with whom we have been nurturing a long-standing creative relationship. Flipside Hats makes hats handcrafted in America with sustainable and recycled materials, supporting local workers and minimizing world waste.