Our Story
Our Mission
Our mission is to model the power of compassion for creating peace, to educate about the consequences of militarism, and to equip our community to organize, advocate, and take action together for peace and justice.
We do this both through our own programs and through providing fiscal sponsorship to new or smaller community efforts in need of support.
Our Vision
We strive for the courage in ourselves and our community to achieve peace through just relationships.
We desire a world with:
- Available clean, healthy food and water for all beings
- Fair and available housing for everyone
- Justice, nondiscrimination, and equal rights for all, BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, including the imprisoned and the houseless,
- Peaceful and diplomatic avenues for conflict resolution
- Global nuclear disarmament
Intersectionality
Our work comes with a heart felt dedication to social justice and a culture of nonviolence.
We provide an intersectional platform with partners to address:
Racial Equity & Justice
Voting Rights & Democracy
Indigenous Rights & Reconciliation
Rights for LBGTQ+ and Trans Youth
Immigration & Central American Human Rights
Women’s Reproductive Rights
Prison Reform & Human Rights
Peaceful Resolutions to War & Gun Safety
Food and Shelter Security
Promoting a Culture of Peace
Each August 6th, Peace House honors the memory of those who died in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings with ceremonial vigils. We also feature nuclear risk and deterrence in our publications and online action campaigns. We work closely with Rogue Valley Veterans for Peace Chapter #156 and others to address the rampant culture of violence in the U.S. in 2022.
In October of 1982, Peace House was born in the wake of mass mobilizations working to avoid a nuclear war with the former USSR. Can you believe it has been 40 years?
In our first year, Peace House convinced the Ashland City Council to adopt a resolution making the city a Nuclear Free Zone. We also helped the city become a member of Mayors for Peace International with 8,174 other municipalities worldwide. Now, as the Russian invasion in Ukraine escalates and nuclear threats surge in daily headlines, our team at Peace House calls for an emboldened peace movement with networks that have matured worldwide over the last 40 years.
Since our formation, under the umbrella of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Peace House programs have been rooted in a values-centered approach that continues to this day. In response to crises – be they social or political, our work centers around an aim to support a more peaceful, compassionate world.
Our Commitment
With this website, we reaffirm the sacredness of all beings and our intention to serve our community offering peaceful, creative solutions to the challenges we face living together on the planet.
Founded on concerns about nuclear warfare 42 years ago, Peace House continues to align with stakeholders that promote diplomacy, conflict resolution and productive new vehicles for social change.
- We commit to addressing the results of repression and militarism and giving voice to those of us who are suffering from human rights abuse, racism, sexism, hunger, environmental degradation and other forms of violence.
- We commit to consistently learning, prioritizing, and demonstrating better care for all, including the earth on which we live.
- We commit support efforts to build reconciliation between different or opposing viewpoints and groups.
Accomplishments
In the past two years, during COVID shutdowns and tragic wildfires in the Rogue Valley, we:
Remained open throughout COVID shutdowns, advocating for fire survivors and others who faced shelter and food insecurity;
Served more than 100,000 free meals to people in need with Uncle Food’s Diner, and provided hot meals for
residents at the OHRA and Rogue Retreat shelters in Ashland;
Sent more than 1500 packages of books to prisoners with Rogue Liberation Library; and
Published over 100 Clear Actions Newsletters with our social action calendar, packed with progressive articles and timely events.
Incubating Ideas for Lasting Organizations
Throughout our history, Peace House has fostered several budding social action groups under our nonprofit umbrella.
In 2026, we are serving as the fiscal sponsor for:
Ancestor’s Future: Crystallizing Our Call
Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance
Past sponsored projects include:
Ashland.News
The Freedom Exchange Project, advocating for formerly incarcerated people
Keeping Ashland Women Safe (K.A.W.S.)
Southern Oregon Climate Action Network
Southern Oregon PRIDE
The Truth To Power Club at Ashland High School
Vision Quilt