The Peer Company

What if the answer to fare evasion wasn’t enforcement but empathy? 🚋
 
That’s the question Portland Streetcar Operations Manager, Eric West, set out to answer in 2026, and the result is “Streetcare” a first-of-its-kind partnership with our Behavioral Health Resource Center (BHRC) that puts our outreach staff directly on trains every single day.
 
For years, riders experiencing homelessness were removed from street cars without support, only to return the next day. This partnership helps to breaks that cycle. Peer support specialists ride alongside passengers, connecting those without a destination to shelters, services, and the care they deserve.
 
71 days in, the numbers speak for themselves: 559 trains checked and 174 people connected to support. This is proof that small shifts in approach can create real, lasting change! We’re excited to share more about the future of this partnership for Portland.
 

When the heat rises, so does our commitment!🌞💧

Two of our Peer Support Specialists from our HSD team were out in the Portland sun this past month handing out heat advisory supplies like water bottles and cooling blankets along with our everyday job of showing up for our unhoused neighbors with compassion and care.

This is peer support in action: face to face, heart to heart, in the streets meeting people where they’re at.

Lived experience is at the core of everything we do! It builds trust, fosters real connection, and ensures people feel seen, heard, and supported by someone who truly understands the journey. Our staff are the direct evidence that recovery is real.

Couldn’t be more proud of our team and the work they do!

Photos by Motoya Nakamura

More than a financial institution... a true partner in our mission!
 
We were so grateful to welcome the incredible team from Columbia Bank to our Recovery Campus this past month! Seeing them show up in person, side by side with our team (and doughnuts in hand!), is a powerful reminder that peer support and mental health recovery take a whole community.
 
Columbia Bank doesn’t just support our work financially, they champion it, and that means everything to us and the people we serve.
 
Thank you, Columbia Bank, for believing in this mission as deeply as we do! We’re always stronger together. 🙌
 
Pictured: Sam Tiede, Baldeep Atwal, Olivia Lloyd, Martie Monger, Zach Brooks, and John Karp-Evans
 

📢 Holiday Closure Notice
 
In observance of Juneteenth (Friday, June 19), the following offices will be closed:
 
🔹 Recovery Campus
🔹 Admin Office
🔹 Hillsboro Office
🔹 Hillsboro CATT
 
BHRC in downtown Portland is still open today. 
 
We’ll be back and ready to serve you on Monday, June 22. Wishing our community a meaningful and reflective holiday.

Today, Portland honored a legend! 🏳️‍🌈

The ribbon has been cut at Darcelle XV Plaza. A revitalized downtown space that carries the name and spirit of Walter Cole (AKA Darcelle XV) whose five decades of dazzling performances and unwavering message of acceptance shaped this city in ways that will never be forgotten!

From Portland Mayor Keith Wilson: “Darcelle XV Plaza is a new gem in the heart of our magnificent city. Its design embodies Portland’s long-standing dedication to inclusive, vibrant public spaces and provides a welcoming destination for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community and all Portlanders.”

What an honor to witness this moment. From the live choir to the voices of community leaders and neighbors, today felt like exactly what Portland is all about. This plaza belongs to all of us!

📍 800 SW Harvey Milk Street

Go visit your new downtown gem, Portland!

You don’t have to navigate this alone. 🌱
 
Our Alternatives to Su***de support group is a free, open, peer-led space for people who have experienced suicidal thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. No clinical language, no judgment, no involuntary anything.
 
This group is grounded in harm reduction and the Wildflower Alliance charter, facilitated by people with real lived experience: Nat Heizenrader (she/they) and Sean Mahoney (he/him).
 
📅 1st & 3rd Tuesdays from 3:00 – 4:00 PM
📍 Recovery Campus at 8935 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97266
 
Come as you are, all are welcome in community! Share this post with someone who needs it.
 

Turn your story into someone else’s lifeline.
 
We’re enrolling for our Peer Wellness Specialist Training: a 80-hour certification program that equips you to support others in their physical and mental health journey, drawing from your own story.
 
As a PWS, you’ll use your own lived experience to walk alongside others on their recovery journey, connecting them to health and wellness resources in the community.
 
📅 July cohort:
🏫 In-Person: July 6–17 | 9am–5pm @ Recovery Campus in SE Portland
💻 Virtual: July 6–22 | 9am–3:30pm via Zoom
 
📅 August cohort:
🏫 In-Person: Aug 3–14 | 9am–5pm @ Recovery Campus in SE Portland
💻 Virtual: Aug 3–19 | 9am–3:30pm via Zoom
 
Graduates are eligible to apply for their Peer Wellness Specialist and/or Certified Recovery Mentor certifications. 🎓
 
Register online at mhaoforegon.org/current-trainings
 

Represent wherever the road takes you!

Our Peerpocalypse Seaside, OR bumper sticker is still available! Classic black and white color with our iconic, unique font. Slap it on your car, your water bottle, your laptop... you know the vibe! This one’s evergreen, just like the community. 🌲

Shop the merch while supplies last → https://www.mhaoforegon.org/peerpocalypse-2026-merch

We offer these services because everyone deserves the chance to walk away with a clean record.
 
Our Peerpocalypse x Clear Clinic partnership proved just how much that matters. Over two days, three hours at a time, our community showed up to the conference’s free expungement clinic. Here’s what we accomplished together:
 
📋 52 participants received criminal record expungements
💸 16 participants received fines & fee waiver motions
⚖️ 6 participants received consultations on SB 819 relief for non-expungeable felony convictions
✍️ 2 participants received name/gender marker change services
🏠 1 participant received eviction expungement services
 
That’s 77 people who walked away with real, tangible legal relief. Records cleared. Futures reopened. 💪
 
None of this would have been possible without our incredible partners from CLEAR Clinic: Dan, JJ, Stephanie, and Stevie! Thank you for bringing your expertise, your compassion, and your time to help our community!
 
Did you know? The Peer Company hosts FREE monthly expungement clinics at our Hillsboro office every last Wednesday of the month from 12–4pm. Come see us!