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Welcome to Washington County’s Office of Community Development newsletter!

It’s a time of uncertainty with potential changes at the federal level, especially when much of our team’s work is administering federal funds for the benefit of communities throughout Washington County. It can be easy to get caught up in news, rumors, and speculation in an attempt to fully understand and feel in control the situation, although that usually isn’t productive. Instead, we are focusing on the positive impacts we can continue to make. The largest example of that is completing our draft 2025-20209 Consolidated Plan. We have been working with many of you throughout the county for more than a year to develop this Plan so that it reflects the people, neighborhoods, and needs of our community. The Consolidated Plan also reflects the collective work of our Consortium, which includes the cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro along with our office. The goals we established in the Consolidated Plan to guide us over the next five years include:

Please continue to join us in this work and provide comment on our draft Consolidated Plan (more information regarding this below). We remain steadfast in our commitment to be efficient stewards of those federal resources for the benefit of those most in need in our county.

Best Regards,

Shannon Wilson, Program Manager

Meet the Team: Housing and Community Development Specialists

Left to right: Eva Pauley, Keegan Curry, Lauren Calo, and Kelvin Valdovinos

Our team of Housing and Community Development Specialists work with community development projects funded by federal programs, specifically the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and HOME-American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) programs. These staff work to interpret federal regulations and support our partners in implementing both service-oriented and capital projects. They work closing with our community partners including non-profits and local government agencies to provide services, facilities, infrastructure, and housing to our low and moderate income community members.

Eva has been with the Office of Community Development for a little over a year, primarily focused on the Consolidated Plan and CDBG program. Keegan is the newest addition to the office, joining us at the end of 2024. They work with the HOME-ARP and First Home programs. Lauren has been with the Office of Community Development for over 6 years and currently works with the CDBG and ESG programs and manages the fair housing contracts. Lauren also currently serves on the Executive Board of the Northwest Association of Community Development Managers (NWACDM). And Kelvin has been with the office for 2 years and currently works with the HOME program. Kelvin also previously administered the HOME-ARP program and is the office lead for Part 58 Environmental reviews.

Below are some projects that our office has supported recently

REACH CDC and Mercy Housing NW are in the early stages of new construction for the Elmonica Station 81-unit affordable housing project utilizing HOME funds. The site is in the Five Oaks/Triple Creek area near MAX and bus; design supports pedestrian and social connection between residents and neighbors. REACH CDC is also finalizing another project in Washington County known as Dartmouth Crossing North.

Just Compassion of East Washington County is in year two of a three-year CDBG grant for their safe parking program in Tigard. Their first site opened in September 2024 at Tigard City Hall, pictured above. They are currently working on opening two additional sites in the city of Tigard.

Family Promise of Tualatin Valley is utilizing HOME-ARP funds to renovate Bridge To Home, their family shelter and organizational headquarters. Once completed the building, formerly a hotel, will have capacity to host 70+ families, on site staff offices for employees of Family Promise of Tualatin Valley, a commercial kitchen with capacity to prepare two meals a day for clients, on site laundry facilities, and a multipurpose room for hosting work shops such as job training and enrichment facilities for kids.

Highlights of the Consolidated Plan

The full Consolidated Plan starts with a user guide which provides an overview of the entire plan. This guide provides summaries of each of the sections along with links to each of the sections in the Washington County portion of the plan. The user guide also provides some definitions of key terms that are used throughout the plan.

The draft of this plan is in public comment from March 24-April 24 with two public hearings online on April 2 and April 24. You are welcome to provide comments at these hearings or by emailing cdbg@washingtoncountyor.gov. Below are the formal public notices for the Draft Plans.

Public Comment Period and Hearings on Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and 2025 Action Plan

The Consolidated Plan is a strategic planning document resulting from 18 months of planning and public participation, which set local strategies and priorities for allocating the federal funding over the five-year timeframe. It acts as a combined plan and application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for federal funds available to counties and cities under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) formula programs. Washington County the City of Beaverton and the City of Hillsboro each receive an annual CDBG entitlement grant. In addition, Washington County annually receive HOME and ESG program funds on behalf of the entire county. Action Plans are annual components of the Consolidated Plan that specifically describe how Washington County and the Cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro, will invest federal resources over a one-year period for activities serving low- and moderate-income persons, the homeless, and persons with special needs.

The Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and the 2025 Action Plan are available for public review and comment from Monday, March 24 through Thursday April 24, 2025. Copies can be found during regular business hours at the City of Beaverton’s Community Development Division located on the 4th floor at “The Beaverton Round” at 12725 SW Millikan Way in Beaverton, or the City of Hillsboro City Manager’s Office at 150 E Main Street in Hillsboro. Copies of the draft plan documents can also be obtained from Washington County Office of Community Development located at 328 W Main Suite 100 in Hillsboro or by calling 503-846-8814. In addition, you may download a version of the plan via the County’s website:

https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/commdev/2025-2029-consolidated-plan

Two public hearings will be held on the draft plans in a virtual format:

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 7:00 p.m.

Please notify the Office of Community Development at least 72 hours before a meeting or hearing if special accommodations (equipment or interpreting service) are needed. If you have a disability or are hearing impaired and need assistance, please plan ahead by calling 503 846-8814 or TTY relay dial 711 or 1-800-735-1232.

You may comment on the Draft 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and the 2025 Action Plan at either of the public hearings, or by writing to

Shannon Wilson, Program Manager

Washington County Office of Community Development

328 W. Main Street, MS7

Hillsboro, OR 97123

Phone: 503-846-8814

Fax: 503-846-2882

E-mail: cdbg@washingtoncountyor.gov

Public Comment Period on Substantial Amendments to the 2018 and 2020 Action Plans

The Substantial Amendment to the 2018 and 2020 Action Plan is available for public review and comment from comment from Monday, March 24 through Thursday April 24, 2025. You may comment on the substantial amendment by writing to Shannon Wilson at cdbg@washingtoncountyor.gov or at the mailing address listed above.

Copies of the draft plan documents can be obtained from Washington County Office of Community Development located at 328 W Main Suite 100 in Hillsboro or by calling 503-846-8814. In addition, you may download a version of the plan via the County’s website:

https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/commdev/annual-action-plan