NAYA—along with partners the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest, Housing Development Center, and Income Property Management—have been selected to participate in Oregon’s first cohort of the Oregon Supportive Housing Institute. The institute will provide the cohort with training and technical assistance to develop “permanent supportive housing” (PSH) projects. Numerous studies have demonstrated thatView Article >
It’s a common misperception that, in pre-contact days, the daily lives of Native people were filled only with toil and a desperate fight for survival. In reality, communities enjoyed recreational activities, including sports and games. Such activities often reinforced skills that complemented work that needed to be done. For example, physical fitness, strength, and agilityView Article >
NAYA Renames High School Many Nations Academy Students Choose Name Reflective of School’s Inclusive Spirit PORTLAND, ORE. (August 20, 2019) – The Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) today announced that its high school previously known as NAYA Early College Academy has been renamed to Many Nations Academy (MNA). MNA Principal Lisa Otero stated,View Article >
NAYA is part of the Homeless Youth Continuum in Multnomah County that also includes JANUS Youth Programs, Outside In, and New Avenues for Youth. NAYA’s Homeless Youth Program currently works with over 100 youth, ages 16 to 24, experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The program follows a housing-first, trauma-informed service model, providing stable supports around housing andView Article >
It’s graduation season—the time of the year when years of hard work finally pay off for students with a walk across the graduation stage to receive their diplomas. It’s a time to celebrate perseverance and achievement, self-discipline and tenacity. Graduates everywhere pause to look back and reflect, and to cast their gazes toward the future.View Article >
May is National Foster Care Awareness Month. NAYA’s three foster care programs—Foster Care Support, Pathways to Adulthood, and Sibling and Family Visit Nights—reach local foster youth from birth to age 24, and birth and foster parents. Despite a very small staff and limited resources, NAYA currently works with 85% of the district’s 141 Native AmericanView Article >
This month, we’ll be highlighting some of the asset building work that NAYA does with community. To begin, we’re highlighting an awesome resource called the Individual Development Account (IDA). NAYA’s IDA program provides matching dollars for program participants who save for asset-building activities like starting a business, funding education, or buying a house. IDAs areView Article >
Each spring, NAYA celebrates the accomplishments of our youth at the annual Early College Academy (ECA) Luncheon. Because this is the 10th anniversary of this inspiring event, we’re sharing 10 reasons why you should consider attending the luncheon on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. You’ll get to visit the NAYA campus firsthand. You’ll be introduced toView Article >
NAYA’s culturally specific early childhood programs are intended to wrap around whole families. From our WIC clinic that provides pre-natal supports to pregnant women to our Positive Indian Parenting classes, NAYA knows that whole families need to be engaged in order build the best foundation for our youth. One such program, the Chxi San Playgroup,View Article >
On its website, the Golden Saffron Company’s offer of “high-quality saffron spice and petals directly from the Pacific Northwest” seems perfectly aligned with Portland’s environmental conscious green marketplace. The North Plains, Oregon-business is led by third-generation sustainable agriculture farmer Tanya Golden, described on the website as a visionary. “From laying the foundations of the greenhousesView Article >