Conversation Series Sofa Issues Winter 2026
Just Plug In
Haruka Ostley in conversation with Angela Ostley
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are programs and organizations that are already doing amazing incredible things on the ground in the community. So just plug in, join them”
– Angela Ostley
Angela Ostley is my sister-in-law, and I first met her when she was 19. Even then, her quiet strength and resilience stood out. She began studying photography at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, which led her to become a freelance photographer, before life took her on a different path. After moving with her husband Matt to a small rural town, she began working in a group home supporting adults with developmental disabilities. That experience sparked her passion for social work, which she’s carried ever since. Back in the city, she has continued helping adults in semi-independent living while also pursuing her creative passions — writing, photography, poetry, painting . She is a co-founder of Those Yarn Girls, along with our other sister-in-law, Liz Ostley.
Today, Angela works with families in the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. She manages a caseload of 54 people, each with their own goals; some check in occasionally, while others need weekly guidance navigating community resources and tackling life’s unexpected challenges.
With all the political chaos today, I was curious to hear from her about what she witnesses in her work, how it affects her, and what advice she might have for people who want to support their communities.
H: You’ve been supporting the community as a social worker in Portland for a while — are there any stories or moments that really stand out to you?
A: There’s a woman I’ve been working with— we’re now in our eighth year of working together. She went through the full seven years of the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program but didn’t quite complete it, so she re-enrolled. Now I’m walking through it with her for the second time. When I first started working with her, she hadn’t graduated from high school. The way she spoke to me about herself and her situation was very much, “I’m just stuck. I’m never going to get out of this. I’m living in a really rough neighborhood, and there are constant issues around me.” Now, eight years later, she’s got her high school diploma, and she’s in college working towards becoming a social worker. She moved out of the place where she was dealing with all this stuff and she is in a house now that she’s renting with her two kids. She has a good job working in a hospital, and she has built up savings, paid off debt and she has purchased a car and likes all these things that are slow. And now when I speak to her she says, “This is what I’m doing next, this is what I’m doing.” It’s so different the way she would speak about what was possible for her.
H: That’s so amazing. It’s such a long-term commitment, staying connected and helping someone build their confidence .
A: A lot of people who are living in poverty or dealing with systems that are providing benefits, they have to jump through all these hoops to get the benefits. And there’s always the threat of losing them. The systems that people are working with are not positive interactions. So being able to be a person who can speak to somebody one-on-one and be an encouraging positive voice helps people realize that they can achieve their goals.
H: I really believe it can make a difference when someone in your life is that encouraging voice saying, “You can do this.” That kind of support is powerful. What would you say is a common challenge you come across, especially within the systems you work with?
A: Challenges often come with more barriers than you might expect. There are programs designed to help, but many people don’t know about them. For example, in Portland, there are programs to help clear criminal records, but many people don’t realize they can reach out to public defenders and get their record expunged for free.
Then there are the systems themselves. With housing assistance, once someone reaches a certain income, the support is cut off— there’s no safety net or incentive, and the threshold is low compared to the cost of living. Maintaining benefits like food stamps or housing also requires constant recertification and paperwork, and it’s not easy to get someone on the phone at DHS or with a caseworker.
A lot of people’s attention goes just to surviving— paying rent, keeping the lights on, putting food on the table,leaving little brain space for anything beyond daily life.
H: Oh I can totally relate to that. How do you like to build trust when you start a conversation? Do you have anything that you always pay attention to when you talk to them?
A: As part of my job, we go through a lot of training: trauma-informed care, reflective listening, coaching programs… all focused on really listening to someone and reflecting back what they’re saying. It’s about hearing not just their words, but what they’re trying to communicate underneath.
A lot of it is simply building trust by being there. In our first meeting, someone might be telling me their whole life story, and we’ve just met. So I try to earn that trust by being available, by following through, by answering my phone when they call. You’d be surprised how far those small things go. People tell me all the time, “You’re the only one who answers when I call. I can always count on you.”
H: Wow, yeah. Just being there is already a big step. Sometimes all we need is someone to show up, being there to listen.
A: For a lot of people, it’s like, “Oh, you’ve been assigned a new caseworker this week,” and their paperwork just keeps getting passed around. There’s not much consistency. In my role though, I get to work with someone for five to seven years. That’s a long time. You really get to know them, not just their goals, but who they are as a person.
H: As I am looking into collaborating with Rose Haven, I’m curious,what kinds of challenges do women face within the system? Are there specific barriers that stand out to you?
A: So many challenges. I would say the majority of the people I work with right now are single women, single mothers. They’re running their households alone. They’re doing everything. They’re working, paying all the bills, taking care of the kids, dealing with school issues, finding tutors, managing activities, filling out paperwork, completing recertifications— all of it.
The expectations are all on them. They’re carrying everything by themselves. And mental health comes up a lot, because while they’re focused on everyone else;their kids, their household, their job. They always seem to come last. So they don’t really have the time, energy, or resources to take care of themselves, and that takes a toll after a while. They’re carrying the whole world on their shoulders, doing everything. And they don’t really have a choice, because they’re doing it alone. Expectations aren’t the same for men.
H: Right. Where do you see the biggest gaps in support?
A: Childcare is the biggest gap. It’s either not available, or it’s too expensive. Thankfully, there are some newer programs starting to help cover those gaps. Preschool for All in Portland is a great program, and Head Start too. But still, when you’re a mother, you can’t just leave your children to go to work.
H: I’m curious, have recent political changes or movements had an impact on the people you work with?
A: Yeah. Well, government policy really affects families. Every year, we have less and less funding for the housing voucher program. That means systems have to make changes. Take the Emergency Housing Voucher program, for example. It’s ending this fall because the funding isn’t being renewed. About 400 families are going to lose their housing assistance at the end of this year.
At the same time, budgets are being lowered, so the amount of housing assistance each household can receive is decreasing. Policies like that directly impact households.
Then there’s the issue of citizenship and immigration. I have families reach out and say things like, “I haven’t been going to work. I’m scared to go outside. I don’t know how I’m going to pay my rent this month.” People are afraid and can’t just live their lives, and they’re already dealing with so much.
When you add on all these other struggles, based on who is in office and what decisions are being made, it directly affects families and households. It’s hard to see, and it makes me feel terrible, because I’m part of that system. I work for the housing authority, so I’m part of a system that sometimes makes their lives harder, when it should be making their lives easier and providing the support they need.
H: It must be so difficult for you to be in that position. What you want to do is support the families you’ve been working with for so many years. And then at some point, you have to tell them, “This program is ending,” or share other news like that. That must be really hard. After all these years, what has this work taught you about people? And what is it that keeps you going?
A: Well, this work has taught me that people are incredibly resilient. I’ve worked with individuals who have faced some of the toughest challenges and setbacks you can imagine, and yet when I talk to them, they’re still happy, positive, hopeful, and working to make their lives better. It’s not that they aren’t affected by what happens— of course they are. But people are strong, resourceful, and determined. Even when they have very little, they find a way to make it happen. And that… that is really inspiring. I feel like I’m more passionate about this work than ever before because I see how these social programs make a real difference for families in big ways that will impact their children and future generations. I think it’s really important that we keep fighting for them.
H: I think the work you’re doing in your position is amazing. Truly making a difference for what they need. What do you think our community can pay attention to as neighbors, or what can we do to help?
A: I think building community is the biggest thing. I heard someone else say this the other day, “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” There are programs and organizations that are already doing amazing incredible things on the ground in the community. So just plug in, join them, figure out who they are and what they’re doing, and then help build those connections, extend their reach, and get to know your neighbors.
H: Yeah, that’s really great. It gives such a clear visual, like the wheel is already there, and you just get in it and keep it turning. It’s about supporting what already exists. You don’t have to think, “I have to make the wheel myself.” It’s more like, come in and help keep it moving. That feels like a step anyone can take. That’s great advice.
A: You can see it happen in places like Minneapolis, right now they have all of these community organizations and like mutual aid groups. That started when George Floyd was killed. So what was created when that tragedy happened is now supporting them through this craziness that they’re going through. They came together as people, as a community, to create ways to help each other. There are organizations helping families pay their rent, for example. And that’s something we can learn from. We can take what they’re doing in that city and apply it in other cities, adapting it to local needs.
What we can do is to take care of ourselves. I like to go hiking in the mountains. It’s a mental reset for me, because when I’m hiking, nothing else is on my mind except nature. It’s really peaceful. It’s actually a great way to reset mentally, especially with so much coming at us from our phones and the news. It’s good to just turn it off for a little while.
Angela Ostley (she/her) is a poet and fiction writer whose work blends tenderness and teeth, exploring grief, moral tension, and feminist defiance. Her professional background is in housing and social services and she runs a small business with her sister making and designing crochet toys and patterns. She lives in Vancouver, WA, with her children and dogs, where she works, crafts, and writes, believing each of these things are ways to change the world.
Haruka Ashida Ostley (She/her) born in Japan and raised across four continents, is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores personal stories, vulnerability, and human connection, shaped by her experiences with illness, motherhood, and identity. Her practice spans painting, installation, performance, and socially engaged projects, often collaborating with communities to honor spoken and unspoken stories, fostering reflection, dialogue, and empowerment.
Haruka has served as an Artist-in-Residence with the Yew Chung Education Foundation in China, is currently pursuing an MFA in Art and Social Practice at Portland State University, and continues to create work that bridges personal narrative with collective experience.