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Housing Services E-Newsletter
| | Department of Housing Services staff volunteering in Washington County's Annual Toy Drive. | | |
Hello Washington County,
Happy New Year! As we head into 2026, I’d like to share a couple of recent experiences that reminded me of why we do the work we do and the thought partners who make this work possible.
Earlier this month, I had the honor of joining a “game show” panel of housing experts and ECOnorthwest leaders at the Leadership Summit for the Oregon Business Plan (see picture above). This audience-participation opportunity welcomed bold collaborative ideas for tackling the housing crisis, because housing and economic success are inseparable. Jobs and homes are two sides of the same coin. To truly help families thrive, we must keep pushing for both. It was exhilarating to hear so many great ideas!
Shortly after that Leadership Summit, I took a Lyft to the airport and started chatting with my driver, an Afghan refugee who fled unimaginable danger to protect his family. Now, he’s here working full-time, paying $3,000 a month for a small apartment in Hillsboro, and still struggling to make ends meet. His dream? A safe, affordable home where his family of six could finally be together. Then he asked me, "What do you do?" I answered by describing affordable homes in Washington County that could save him over $1,000/month at communities like Aloha Park, Bonita Village, Gateway Commons, Quatama Crossing, and Amberwood Apartments, assuming his family’s income would qualify for affordable housing.
As 2025 comes to a close, I’m proud of the strides we’ve made to expand shelter capacity, invest in affordable housing communities, and support over 20,000 individuals through housing services. These milestones aren’t just numbers; they represent thousands of stories like the Lyft driver I met. And they were possible because of you: our residents, partners, and advocates. Thank you for being part of this mission. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a new year filled with hope, progress, and possibility.
Warm regards,
Molly
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A Year Spent Working Together:
Advisory Bodies Appreciation
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Thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated their time over the year to make Washington County’s Department of Housing Services’ programs more accessible, effective, and just for all. To celebrate their dedication, we hosted our Annual Volunteer Luncheon, complete with holiday cheer.
Volunteers for the Department help guide staff through program and policy design, with advisory members serving on the Housing Advisory Committee (HAC), Resident Advisory Board (RAB), Homeless Solutions Advisory Council (Solutions Council), Lived Experience Advisory Committee (LEAC), and the Housing and Supportive Services Network (HSSN).
This year, our advisory bodies played a vital role in advancing housing and homelessness initiatives. HAC championed supportive senior housing, housing development, and preservation during the legislative session. RAB guided the approval of plans and policies that are key to maintaining federal funding. LEAC consulted on the design of Permanent Supportive Housing and Transitional Housing and provided feedback on the Local Implementation Plan for Homeless Services. The Solutions Council helped navigate challenging conversations around regional alignment and budget reductions. HSSN brought together County providers in housing and healthcare, traditionally siloed systems, to spark cross-continuum learning.
We are honored to serve this community and deeply value the partnership of our advisory bodies as we continue working towards our mission. If you’re interested in shaping housing and homelessness policy, stay tuned for advisory positions opening in 2026.
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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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Protecting federal Continuum of Care resources
For decades, federal funding has been the bedrock of Washington County’s response to homelessness through the Continuum of Care (CoC) program.
The CoC program has traditionally prioritized permanent solutions to homelessness through housing-focused programs. In CoC programs across the country, over 200,000 formerly homeless households are housed with CoC-funded programs that make rents affordable and provide wraparound supports. Here in Washington County, hundreds of households are supported in permanent housing through our approximately $5 million in annual funding from the CoC program.
In late November, the current federal administration announced a new application process that would re-prioritize CoC funds. The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development proposed shifting 40% of funding away from housing programs, leaving hundreds of thousands in jeopardy of losing their homes.
Our team is tracking court cases currently underway and challenging HUD’s proposed NOFO, while preparing for whatever CoC application is ultimately required, with the goal of retaining critical resources for our community. Interested partners who may consider participating in this funding application can follow along here. We’re also strategically working with our community-based providers to prepare for potential shifts to their programs. Here in Washington County, we’re fortunate because state and local funding will allow us to shift funding to make sure no one loses their home due to federal policy shifts. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for most CoC programs across the country, where the risk of housing loss is real.
No matter what, our priorities in Washington County remain the same – a balanced and effective system that provides compassionate supports from shelter to housing – working in coordination to end homelessness.
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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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Kickstarting neighbor conversations for Cornell Road Recovery
Our department closed out 2025 with an open house event to introduce project partners of the future Cornell Road Recovery transitional housing facility to the community and our new neighbors.
Like most new homeless services facilities, our neighbors have expressed interest and voiced some concerns about the future program. To begin answering some of these questions, we hosted a collaborative open house event featuring Helping Hands Recovery Outreach Center, which will operate the recovery-focused transitional housing program, as well as CODA, Virginia Garcia, and Washington County Sheriff's Office, who will partner closely with the program. During the event, interested community members asked questions related to future services, safety, site layout, and next steps for community engagement.
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Our next steps will be to work directly with neighbors and Helping Hands to create a Good Neighbor Agreement that will establish agreements and a partnership between the program and our neighbors. This process will set expectations around quiet hours, safety practices, and clear lines of communication with the goal of setting the program up for success in time for the grand opening, slated for fall 2026.
The future program will serve people seeking recovery supports while transitioning from homelessness to stable housing by bridging the gap between shelter, healthcare systems, and long-term housing, and meet a critical need in our community. When open, the facility will offer 75-85 rooms for participants who’ve experienced homelessness and are committed to a recovery-focused program.
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Melanie’s story: Building a food bank in her affordable housing community
Melanie defines what it means to be a good neighbor.
When Melanie moved into her affordable housing apartment in Beaverton, she quickly noticed something heartbreaking: many seniors and disabled residents weren’t getting the nutrition they needed. Rising food prices made things worse. Melanie didn’t just watch; she acted and opened up her own food bank.
Melanie’s story is one of perseverance and empathy. She knows firsthand what it’s like to live on a low income and struggle to find a safe place to call home. That experience fuels her commitment to her neighbors. She doesn’t just live in her community, she strengthens it. And that’s why she spoke at the Affordable Housing Preservation Celebration this summer as our guest resident speaker, to help describe the impact of 592 affordable homes newly renovated by the Washington County Housing Authority for neighbors like her.
Want to take a deeper dive into Melanie’s life and her impact on others? Read our latest blog post.
| | 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. | | |
The Department of Housing Services creates pathways out of homelessness, promotes housing stability, and invests in affordable communities for Washington County and our residents. | |  | | | | |
