MEPIHN was a community group composed of congregations from various spiritual traditions and other service organizations gathered to respond to the needs of homeless families in Metro East Portland by providing temporary shelter and support to these families as they look for housing and employment.

Host Churches Host congregations provided overnight lodging, meals (supper, breakfast, and brown-bag lunch) and hospitality for three to five families (up to fourteen individuals) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the next morning.  There was a Day Center serving as a base and address for the adults who were seeking employment. 

Disaster struck in early 2003 with theft of the group's computers, equipment, and van.  The group has dissolved and its families taken over by another Portland group, Human Solutions.