Dear Washington County,



I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to celebrate the opening of the Opal Apartments on April 11th, a Metro Housing Bond project, with Home First Development Partners, Christ United Methodist Church, Friendly House, and many other partners. Thank you to everyone who worked on this beautiful project in Cedar Mill, now home to 54 senior households. In particular, I am grateful for the leadership of previous director, Komi Kavelor, who committed capital funds and Project Based Section 8 vouchers to help Opal come to fruition.

This celebration happened to correspond with Fair Housing Month. On April 2nd, the Board of Commissioners proclaimed April Fair Housing Month in Washington County. April reminds me that some members of our community still face barriers to housing due to their protected class. Washington County Department of Housing Services is committed to advancing fair housing as one of the tools we use to eliminate disparities in housing access and opportunities.

Meeting some of the partners at The Opal was very meaningful to me, particularly those who were there to make the Opal a friendly and welcoming home for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. It’s work like this that keeps us moving forward in making sure everyone has access to affordable, high-quality housing.

Best,

Molly Rogers

Thanks again to the 2018 voter approved Metro Affordable Housing Bond, 54 more households will have safe and inclusive affordable places to call home. On April 11th the neighborhood celebrated the grand opening of The Opal Apartments, a new senior housing community that will provide 54 affordable homes in Cedar Mill. The Opal will dedicate half of its units to serving extremely low-income residents by utilizing 24 federally funded project-based vouchers for rental assistance.

The project, developed by a unique partnership between Home First Development and Christ United Methodist Church, will provide tailored on-site services to empower residents from the historically underserved LGBTQ+ community through our non-profit partner Friendly House's Elder Pride Services program. Washington County is a major financial contributor to this project through its allocation of the Metro Affordable Housing Bond, and the County’s Housing Production Opportunity Funds.

The Opal was the first bond-project to open in the county in 2024, and we will be seeing six more buildings go up before the end of this year! We are also on track to surpass our bond goals, with a total now of 481 new quality affordable homes. This year alone, 700 additional affordable homes will be built in our county, providing much-needed affordable housing.

For more information on The Opal’s opening, check out this video by KGW. If you are interested in making The Opal your new home, please visit their website.

Where housing meets healthcare: Housing liaisons in action

At the Hawthorn Walk-in Center, people arrive every day who have both behavioral health and housing needs. Hawthorn provides that entry point and staff also offer mobile services, including responding to mental health calls fielded through law enforcement. Ann Martin, a clinical supervisor from Lifeworks NW, shared, “many of our clients are couch surfing or sleeping outside.”

This is where housing liaisons, like Willow Grace Eckmayer with Project Homeless Connect, are crucial to closing the gaps. Willow Grace works on-site at Hawthorn three days a week and spends their time connecting with both ongoing program participants and day-to-day walk ins. Together, they identify next steps with participants which could include anything from one-time rent assistance to an emergency shelter bed. The impact is clear:

• A family of four moves into family shelter, relieving tremendous daily anxiety;
• A person experiencing homelessness moved from an emergency shelter bed to a long-term shelter bed, giving them time to connect with a housing case manager and other resources; and
• A family on the verge of eviction connected with temporary rental assistance and able to stay in their otherwise affordable apartment.

Willow Grace reflected on their experience working at the intersection of behavioral health and housing services and shared, “I can see how it wears on people to be homeless. It’s impossible to go to therapy weekly or remember to take medications and I’ve seen the immediate relief shelter brings, even memory improves. This allows participants to focus on other things and move out of crisis.”

Washington County's Department of Housing accepted into Oregon Supportive Housing Institute

This month we learned that Washington County’s Department of Housing Services was accepted by Oregon Housing and Community Services into the 2024 Supportive Housing Institute. The Institute supports participants in navigating the complex process of developing and implementing permanent supportive housing (PSH). Since the Institute’s launch in 2019, PSH expertise and developer capacity has greatly expanded, leading to a significant increase in the development of this much needed housing. So far 36 teams have graduated from the institute, resulting in 657 new PSH homes approved for funding by the Oregon Housing Stability Council.

We are honored to have been selected and will continue working tirelessly to house our community’s chronically homeless households. And thanks to this selection, Washington County has yet another tool in its toolbox to do its part in creating even more PSH options.

Rachel’s story: From an encampment to her own apartment

During the pandemic, an encampment on Highway 47 grew and grew. New programs and resources allowed Washington County to partner with law enforcement, the City of Forest Grove, and outreach workers to offer everyone staying at the encampment with shelter and connections to housing.

Rachel had been living unsheltered for over three years, primarily at the Hwy 47 encampment just outside of Forest Grove. When asked what that experience was like, she responded with, “Horrible.” At the same time, she reflects that “being homeless with a disability and dogs isn’t easy. I saw my life wasn’t going anywhere and I woke up one day and wanted to change.” Rachel has epilepsy and struggled with multiple health challenges during her time living outside.