To view this newsletter online, click here. | |
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Housing Services E-Newsletter
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Supportive Housing Services report demonstrates how housing and shelter change lives | |
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The Supportive Housing Services Annual Report was released this week and demonstrates a “housing first” approach has led to impressive outcomes here in Washington County.
This report details programs funded by the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure for the Washington County Homeless Services Division from July 2022 through June 2023. The report highlights “stories of hope” from service provider partners, newly housed program participants, and shelter guests across our community. They demonstrate the life-changing impact that stable, affordable housing can have on lives.
We see those human stories reflected in the data as well. Over the last year, Washington County served 2,522 individuals with housing placement, case management services, rent assistance and/ or eviction prevention. In other words, we helped 2,500+ individuals exit homelessness to move into their own apartments or stabilize in their current housing. At the same time, shelter has proved an invaluable steppingstone to housing and allowed us to reduce unsheltered homelessness across our community. Last year, we added 220 beds/rooms to our shelter program – doubling access to shelter in just one year. Today, Washington County operates more than 400 rooms/beds to serve adults, families, youth, veterans, and medically fragile individuals, with more shelter options in the pipeline.
Housing Director Molly Rogers shared, “There is still much work to be done, but I am confident in the expertise of our staff, our dedicated community partners that have provided essential services day in and day out, and our program participants who are doing the hard work every day to get back on their feet. With the groundwork in place, I look forward to making even more progress to address the regional housing and homelessness crises over the next year.”
To view the full report, click here.
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Do you have a story to share?
Do you know of someone who may want to share their housing story with us? Or perhaps you work in housing and want to inform others of a specific experience? We want to hear from you and share positive impactful stories with our community.
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Reflecting on World Homeless Day
October 10th was World Homeless Day and November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. These days are a meaningful marker to remind us of the daily challenges many of our community members face. In January of this year, Washington County found 230 people experienced unsheltered homelessness in our community and 543 people were staying in shelters, waiting to move into stable, long-term housing. These numbers compound when you look at the data on a national level where more than half a million people experienced homelessness in America last year.
Homelessness can happen to anyone, and it effects our whole community. However, homelessness disproportionately effects BIPOC communities, the LGBTQIA community, and youth exiting foster care.
While we celebrate our succusses there is still much to be done to make homelessness a rare, brief, and one-time experience.
What can we do in our daily lives?
- Talk to your friends and family about the importance of housing. Learn about and help dispel the common myths about homelessness.
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Volunteer and/or donate to one of Washington County’s many non-profits.
- Share a smile or a small act of kindness with people you may see on the street.
To learn more about root causes of homelessness in Oregon and for a look into Washington County’s efforts to address this regional crisis, read this inspiring story covering one of our program participants on Oregon Public Broadcasting.
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Missed this summer’s Cornelius pods grand opening?
The Cornelius Safe Rest Pods opened in September 2023. To welcome new shelter guests, event attendees brought plants as welcoming gifts and penned their own inspiring messages. A few messages that stood out:
- We are so happy you are here.
- Sleep well, take care, and get home soon!
- We are here to support you!
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The Cornelius Safe Rest Village Pods are operated by Open Door HousingWorks and offer shelter to 30-40 participants. To learn more about the pods visit our website. | |
Boards & Committees Series: Currently recruiting new Housing Advisory Board members | |
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We are looking for 9-15 community-based stakeholders to serve in a volunteer capacity on the Homeless Advisory Board. We encourage applicants who represent the diversity of Washington County in geographic, income, cultural, racial, and personal experience to apply.
Applicants should demonstrate a commitment and understanding of the complex issues of housing instability and an appreciation of cultural differences in our community. We are especially looking for members with experience in:
- Community advisory, accountability, and governance of public services;
- Homeless services provision;
- Workforce development and criminal justice;
- Behavioral health and healthcare;
- Education, civil rights and justice advocacy; and
- Lived experience navigating and accessing housing assistance.
To apply click here. Application deadline is November 15, 2023.
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Aloha Park fire one year on
In October 2022, a large fire broke out at Aloha Park, destroying one of the County's affordable housing buildings. It was a sad day for the community's residents, with 18 displaced, one person hospitalized, and three dogs fatally injured. The community was supported by the Red Cross and the Department of Housing Services in the aftermath with shelter and staff assistance. All displaced residents have been rehoused.
Recently, support has arrived in a different way. A concern was raised about kids misusing fire at the Aloha Park apartments. While the fire last year was not due to any kids playing with fire, the property manager is taking a preventative approach and reached out to the local fire officials, leading to Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (TVFR) proactively engaging with the community.
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To promote fire safety, TVFR provided an educational session to kids as part of their robust Youth Fire Intervention Program, which Deputy Fire Marshal Stephanie McKee leads. Deputy McKee held the session at Aloha Park on Sept. 19 for kids to listen to along with adults and covered a variety of topics including decision making, fire behavior, telling adults when they see something like a kid misusing fire, and leaving lighters and matches alone.
The community is grateful to have a partner like TVFR, working hard to both protect and educate our families.
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Interested in waitlist openings?
Keep up to date with the department's affordable housing and vouchers' waitlist openings by easily creating a profile on our portal to receive notifications. You can also check out our dedicated waitlists' webpage that includes non-county operated properties. Share with family, friends, and colleagues.
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Permanent supportive housing transforms lives across greater Portland
Danica has been working at Heartwood Commons in Aloha since April. Heartwood Commons is a converted motel with 54 studio apartments and services managed by Community Partners for Affordable Housing. Washington county purchased and renovated the building with Metro bond funds, and opened it as first and only fully PSH apartment community in the county. Like Findley Commons, its case management and other resident services are paid for by Metro’s SHS fund.
As the resident services coordinator, Danica’s job is to bring community members and services to the building. She works alongside two housing case managers and a clinical case manager, who help residents with things like goal setting, connecting to employment and accessing healthcare resources. All services are voluntary, meaning residents engage at whatever level feels comfortable for them.
Danica previously worked as a housing case manager in youth shelters in Tacoma, Washington, where she helped shelter clients find permanent housing. Now she enjoys how her job is to support people who are already housed. “It's really cool to have all of our folks in housing and then just spend my energy and focus on keeping them in housing, and how to make it sustainable for them,” she reflected.
That means creating, “hopefully a fun environment for them,” she said, “which is I think just as important as case management.” The idea is to make Heartwood Commons “a place where you come home and you want to be here.”
To continue reading this in-depth story by Metro, click here.
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Department's first anniversary move to Adams Crossing
It's been a little more than a year since the Department of Housing Services moved from its old headquarters on 111 NE Lincoln Street to 161 NW Adams Ave in Hillsboro. Our new space was fully renovated to accommodate our growing team to better serve residents. For a look into our new home, click on the video to the right!
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A spectrum of jobs in housing are available from entry level to upper management with a competitive benefits package and a dynamic hardworking environment. Click here to view available positions and check back often as our positions' list continue to be updated. | |
Our mission is to provide a continuum of affordable housing options that promotes community strength. The department offers rental assistance to low-income households through various federally funded programs, creates affordable housing opportunities in the community for low and moderate-income households through partnerships with public and private entities, and administers programs to address homelessness. | |  |
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