Blanchet House Breakfast Remarks

March 1, 2026 

Good morning!

First Lady Aimee and I are so honored to share breakfast with you this morning. The First Lady was able to attend last year and came home greatly inspired by everything you’re doing. We’re both big fans of Blanchet.

Both of us want to thank the Blanchet House staff and volunteers for all you do every day to love your neighbor, make Portland welcoming to those who need a helping hand, and speaking up when more needs to be done. And we want to thank everyone here today for supporting Blanchet House and making such a big difference to our community. We’re all in this together.

I’d like to personally thank Jim O’Hanlon, one of the founding members of Blanchet House, who I believe is here this morning. He has carried the mission forward for almost three-quarters of a century. That’s incredible staying power. And that’s true commitment to helping people, helping our neighbors, as Jesus instructed us to do.

As many of you know, the Blanchet House of Hospitality, when it began, was inspired, in part, by Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement. I read The Catholic Worker newspaper regularly when I was in college and have never forgotten the teachings of that movement. Houses of hospitality are designed to be community spaces where people experiencing homelessness and poverty can receive food, shelter, and care without judgment.

Oregon is so fortunate to have Blanchet House. The work there is practical and immediate. A tasty meal. A real conversation. Dignity. Humanity. Belonging. Safety. Simple things that can change the trajectory of a life.

 

Oregon needs every solution we can muster to help our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. Appropriate shelter connected to appropriate services. Housing that people can afford. Health care that meets people’s needs. I have been fighting for all of these things since day one as your governor – and I will not relent.  

I am thankful for Bethanie’s Room, Blanchet’s new peer-supported, gender-expansive shelter for women. More women who are living outside will now have a safe and supportive place to rest every night. In a time when problems feel massive, this is a place where action is tangible. With Blanchet House, you can see where your support goes.

I want you to know that, across Oregon, we are making real progress in addressing unsheltered homelessness. The need is great, but because of the work of the people in this room and others like you in every part of our state, we are housing more of our neighbors than ever before. Public and private partnerships are the key to this progress.

 

Blanchet House has never waited for perfect conditions to act. Neither do I. Neither should you. The time to help is now. The future we want is built through places like Blanchet – one meal, one bed, one relationship at a time.

So, let’s keep showing up for each other. Together, we can build the Oregon we believe in.

Thank you.