By RACHAEL EVANS
Oregon Jewish Community Foundation
The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation has created a new charitable fund to address social issues in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The fund is designed to engage and inform our community about solutions that address societal problems as a cause. Donating to a cause (rather than isolated services) allows members of our community to have a broader and more sustained impact, addressing root issues, driving systemic change, and promoting long-term solutions to complex problems.
For 2024, the fund, “Impact Together: A Philanthropic Fund of OJCF for Social Impact” will focus on homelessness in our community. The initiative facilitates the collaboration of six established human service organizations specializing in affordable housing and support services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and simplifies the process of donating to homelessness services. 
The six organizations are: Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Rockwood CDC, HomeShare Oregon, Hygiene4All, Stone Soup PDX, and Outside the Frame. OJCF worked in partnership with nonprofit experts, government representatives, and people with lived experience of homelessness to assemble these organizations. 
Impact Together allows for a more comprehensive, efficient, and holistic way to tackle the interconnected challenges that at-risk individuals face. The six organizations provide services across the spectrum that focus on various facets of homelessness. Together, they collectively tell the story of individuals navigating homelessness, encompassing the journey from houselessness to obtaining services, stability, job training, and full societal engagement.
By giving to the Impact Together Fund, donors have a simple way to support the six organizations in their collective effort to provide a continuum of care. Donations can be made online, and every gift, regardless of size, is valuable. Impact Together will distribute all contributions equally among the six organizations.
From January to June 2024, donors will receive monthly updates featuring each of the six organizations, opportunities to give, and invitations to exclusive events to foster deeper connections with these organizations. These educational opportunities are designed to inspire donors to become more deeply engaged with the issue of homelessness and the community these nonprofits serve.  
“The Community Study Report from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland clearly illustrates the diversity of engagement within our Jewish community,” says OJCF President & CEO, David Forman. “The Jewish community understands the interconnection of all communities, and that no one particular community, including the Jewish community, can exist without a strong and vibrant general community. Impact Together is one way that OJCF touches the entire community on behalf of the Jewish community. Through Impact Together, we aim to address the data from the community study by connecting with those involved in our community and those seeking further and deeper engagement to express the value of ahava kehillah – for the love of community.”
To learn more about Impact Together, visit ojcf.org/impact.