Every day, across Oregon, our peer professionals show up in hospitals, jails, treatment centers, courthouses, shelters, and on the streets—walking alongside people navigating some of life’s hardest moments.
Our network includes more than 45 programs, each designed to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
Our peer professionals embed support across systems and in community spaces—meeting people where they are:
- Hospitals and healthcare settings
- Jails, courts, and reentry programs
- Street outreach and public spaces
- Shelters and low-barrier day centers
- Drop-in recovery centers and peer community spaces
What Peer Support Looks Like
Across these settings, our peers walk alongside individuals navigating mental health challenges, substance use, houselessness, and reentry from incarceration.
They help people:
- Access care, treatment, and resources
- Navigate complex systems
- Reconnect with family and community
- Find housing and employment
- Build stability and move forward on their own terms
In moments of crisis, our peers provide a calm, grounded presence—offering immediate support and connection.
Peer Spaces
We also create dedicated peer spaces where people can find safety, connection, and support, including:
- Behavioral Health Resource Center
- Recovery Campus
- Drop-in Center at the Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment (CATT) in Hillsboro
These peer-led environments offer refuge, build trust, and create space for people to reconnect with themselves and their communities.
Lived Experience in Action
Lived experience is at the core of our work. It builds trust, fosters connection, and ensures people feel seen, heard, and supported by someone who understands their journey.
Peer support changes lives. It strengthens resilience, builds community, and helps people reclaim hope. Through every relationship, our peers model what recovery can look like—and help others recognize their own capacity to heal.
We are the evidence that recovery is real.
Our work is human, essential, and ongoing—and we are proud to carry it forward, one peer at a time.
Our Impact
By the Numbers
- Trained 450+ Peer Wellness Specialists across 24 Oregon counties
- Served 10,000+ people last year
- 103,000+ Behavioral Health Resource Center street-level outreach engagements
- 1,321 calls responded to through our Provider-Police Joint Connection Program
- 14,600+ clothing items distributed by peers
Explore Our Programs by County
We provide services across Oregon, with primary program hubs in:
Multnomah County
Washington County
Clackamas County
Multnomah County
Provider-Police Joint Connection Program
In December 2023, Officer Bear, a longtime member of the Portland Police Bureau’s Bike Squad, found himself regularly approached by people in crisis—individuals seeking shelter, detox services, or support. Wanting to help but lacking the tools to connect people to care, he reached out to The Peer Company’s Executive Director, Janie Gullickson. Together, they developed what would become the Provider-Police Joint Connection Program.
Now operating five days a week, the program includes four outreach teams and a downtown coordination hub at the Mercy Corps building, where officers and outreach workers plan routes, share resources, and coordinate in real time.
This program bridges a longstanding gap between law enforcement, social services, and people in need. Instead of navigating a fragmented system alone, individuals are met by peer professionals who guide them toward the next step—whether that means shelter, detox, mental health services, or ongoing support.
In its first year, the program helped hundreds of individuals move off the streets and into care. It has strengthened trust, reduced response times, and built a more connected continuum of support. It is a model of public safety grounded in partnership, compassion, and the belief that people can and do recover.
Multnomah County Programs
Adventist ED
Adventist IMPACT
Behavioral Health Resource Center
Behavioral Health Resource Network
Provider-Police Joint Connection
Multnomah County Bureau of Justice Assistance
Joint Office of Homeless Services
JOIN Housing Services
Multnomah BHD (Mental Health Court)
Multnomah County Bridge
MCSO BH Connections
OHSU HRBR
OHSU IMPACT
OHSU Primary Care Peer Pilot
Multnomah County Prime Plus
Stabilization Readiness Program
Unity ESUDs
Washington County
Keys to Success Program
The Keys to Success Program is a collaborative juvenile drug court initiative supporting young people navigating substance use and the justice system. The program brings together the court, probation officers, peer support, providers, and families to ensure youth receive the support they need to move forward.
Peer support specialists work directly with youth and their families, often serving as a consistent and trusted presence. For many, this relationship becomes a critical source of stability and encouragement.
This program helps young people build stability, strengthen relationships, and move forward with confidence—demonstrating that recovery and growth are possible.
Washington County Programs
Beaverton Mental Health Court
Behavioral Health Resource Network
Washington County Choice Model
Washington County Deflection
Washington County Jail
Washington County Keys to Success
Peer Drop-In Center at the Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment (CATT)
Clackamas County
A participant left Providence Hospital after being hospitalized due to alcohol use and came directly to our office seeking additional support.
Through collaboration between Clackamas County and LatinX Behavioral Health Resource Network program managers, he was transported to Hooper Detox the same day. After completing detox, he was connected to housing and ongoing peer support.
Within three months, he moved into a house manager role. Within six months, he had obtained his license, secured a car, completed treatment, and found employment.
He began working at Atlas as a Front Desk Coordinator and has since advanced to Operations Director.
Today, he remains connected to peer support while also helping others navigate their own paths forward.
This story reflects the power of coordinated, peer-led support. Through strong partnerships, we create a seamless continuum of care—from detox and housing to long-term stability and opportunity.
Clackamas County Programs
Clackamas County Evolve
Housing Authority of Clackamas County – Hillside Manor
Northwest Housing Alternatives – Pathways
Behavioral Health Resource Network
Partner With Us
Our peer professionals are transforming systems and strengthening communities across Oregon. Whether you are a healthcare provider, public agency, or community partner, we invite you to connect with us to expand access to peer support.