In a tiny, unassuming office at the Bradley Angles Resource Center on North Albina Avenue, Goblynx Joestar talks about the hardships they had in the Midwest, where Joestar was raised, and the difficult times they had in Portland after relocating here in 2023.
However, Joestar claimed that Bradley Angle, a nonprofit organization based in Portland that works to support victims of domestic abuse in Multnomah County, has had a significant impact on their lives.
Joestar, 29, stated, “I had gone through a couple of different addiction housing and other services like that.” None of them had non-binary or transgender individuals.
However, according to Joestar, they discovered the Marsha’s Folx program at Bradley Angle, which offers services especially tailored to the need of LGBTQ+ members.
One of my greatest skills, according to Joestar, has been working with Bradley Angle employees who shared their gender identification. This is because I have been through that gender identity and understood some of the problems I’ve been going through. It was simpler to come here, have a conversation, and have faith in these individuals.
> Make a donation to the Season of Sharing general fund or Bradley Angle. The code Season2024 can also be texted to 44-321.
According to Joestar, they left Missouri a year and a half ago because they felt that the state was intolerant of LGBTQ+ individuals and because they were having a tumultuous relationship with their fiancé.
Being homeless for a while and dealing with other difficulties were part of the difficult early days in Portland, according to Joestar. However, Bradley Angle helped them get to the point where they currently live in a studio apartment and are enrolled at Portland Community College.
According to Joestar, Bradley Angle employees assist them in obtaining a monthly bus pass and grant them access to a food bank, clothes closet, meetings, dinners, and other resources.
According to Joestar, it’s this community and support. I’ve dealt with a few other companies, but I haven’t had the same degree of compassion and concern.
One of the recipients of The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2024 Season of Sharing initiative is Bradley Angle.
The organization was the first domestic abuse shelter on the West Coast when it was established in 1975. The original founding director of Bradley-Angle House, as it was then called, was the late Bonnie Tinker. According to interim CEO Margot Martin, the grassroots organization was named in honor of Sharon Bradley and Pam Angle, two women who died on the streets after being victims of domestic abuse and having nowhere to turn.
With an annual budget of $4.8 million, 35 staff, and roughly 20 volunteers, Bradley Angle delivers services including Healing Roots, which gives Black survivors access to advocacy services, parenting resources, and support groups in a culturally appropriate setting.
The Kinship Program addresses the intergenerational trauma that children of Healing Roots parents may encounter and provides resources such as mentorship opportunities, family field trips, and peer support groups.
The goal of the Marsha’s Folx program is to give LGBTQ+ survivors advocacy, safety awareness, group support, and basic necessities.
Additional services include housing aid, financial security services, and shelter access for adults and children for up to eight weeks.
“All of the intentionality around cultural specificity made it important for me to get involved with this organization,” Martin added. What particularly drew me to the work was the organization’s recognition and understanding that many people face additional obstacles when trying to obtain services.
According to Martin, Bradley Angle, which is supported by grants from the federal government, the state, the county, and private organizations, is very deliberate about its staffing.
According to Martin, this entails making an effort to select individuals who are similar to the people they are helping to work in particular programs. According to their most recent study, 86 percent of Bradley Angle employees had personal experience with domestic or sexual assault, 33 percent are LGBTQ+, and 68 percent are Black, Indigenous, or people of color.
According to Joestar, when they pursue their education at Portland Community College, they hope to assist others in the same manner that Bradley Angle staff members have assisted them.
OregonLive/The Oregonian
What your donation can do
$25: Basic necessities (diapers, bedding, toiletries, etc.); transportation to court for protective order hearings.
$50: Gift card for holiday gifts for a survivor’s children; cell phone bill to allow survivor to contact Bradley Angle staff.
One counseling session costs $100, and a new security system ensures the victim feels secure in their house.
Kristi Turnquist discusses entertainment and features. You may contact her at [email protected], 503-221-8227, or @Kristiturnquist.
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