A woman arrived at our cafe with nowhere to go, she had never been homeless and had no money for a hotel. She had a kitchen job lined up. She assumed emergency shelter would be easy to find just point her in the right direction, but she was wrong. There is nowhere in downtown Portland where a woman can just show up and get a bed for the night. Nowhere. All shelters require referrals during business hours and then you still need to wait for an opening. This is why Bybee Lakes Hope Center is so important to our community. They have the largest number of available beds so our staff can always get someone into Bybee and send them there in a cab. Dozens of Blanchet House diners--women, families, and couples--have been rescued from sleeping on the street by Bybee Lakes. The caring staff will work with you to determine your next steps without fear. A few nights on the street can detrimentally change someone's life for the worse, we need to fund this critical shelter. Please encourage the county to support Bybee Lakes Hope Center so more people aren't forced to sleep on our sidewalks.