Letter from the director

Hello Washington County,

I believe in a future where every person has an affordable home with the supports each of us needs to thrive. We recently released preliminary results of the January 2025 homeless Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which showed that first time homelessness is on the rise, reminding me that leaning into our collective work is more important than ever in achieving this vision.

Preliminary data released across the region showed that overall homelessness has increased locally as well as nationally. But if we dig deeper into the analyses, we see that the increases in Washington County are in our sheltered homelessness count, reflecting the significant growth in shelter bed capacity we have built over the past few years.

Our unsheltered homeless count in 2025 held steady from the last count, which was a significant decline from previous counts prior to the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) implementation. This is an area where we are differing from broader trends and demonstrating the leveling off effect that increased resources provide. Please see the fourth story in this newsletter for more information on the PIT Count.

Despite a challenging economic landscape, I am proud of the work we as a community do to solve homelessness every day. Thanks to regional resources through the SHS measure, we served over 10,000 people with housing services last year. While we have more work in front of us, we have a shared purpose with our local and regional partners to continue bringing compassionate solutions to the table.

I would also like to introduce our newest member of our Executive Team, Ryan Bansbach, who has already jumped in and been a part of these solutions, one dollar and budget at a time. Welcome, Ryan!

During May, we recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month and celebrate our residents who identify as Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander. Washington County has the largest proportion of Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents in Oregon, making up a vital component of our community. Even still, we have more work to do to better serve this community with housing resources.

Best,

Molly

Ryan Bansbach selected as department’s deputy chief financial officer

Washington County Department of Housing Services welcomes Ryan Bansbach as the new deputy chief financial officer of the Department of Housing Services following a nationwide recruitment and competitive selection process. He began his new role on May 5, 2025, and rounds out the executive team.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Washington County’s Housing Services Department and Housing Authority and having the opportunity to serve my local community with our vital mission through financial stewardship,” shared Bansbach. “I’ve already been impressed by the passion and expertise of the team and grateful for the warm welcome into this dedicated community.”

For more on Ryan and his new role leading the department’s Finance, Accounting and Budget (FAB) division, take a look at our media release.

Washington County acquires hotel to create future recovery transitional housing

The Department of Housing Services is currently working on increasing transitional housing options in Washington County, and part of that effort was a recent purchase of a former hotel on NW Cornell Rd. The new facility, Cornell Road Recovery, is on track to open the latter part of next year.

Cornell Road will be a recovery focused transitional housing program for 80-90 participants, who are supported in a clean and sober living environment while working to reach long-term, stable housing. Transitional housing provides a steppingstone for individuals and couples struggling with homelessness or housing instability, as it delivers robust on-site services, 24/7 staffing and security, and a goal of helping residents transition to long-term housing within two years.

The hotel was purchased, in part because remodeling and repurposing hotels is a proven cost-effective model for expanding housing and shelter capacity more quickly than new development. The building will require significant renovations over the next year, and our department is working with Central City Concern, a regional expert in transitional housing, to support site construction and program development.

For more information on this project, and another transitional housing project under development with Transcending Hope, check out our website.

Woodspring Apartments will be undergoing significant renovations this fall

The Woodspring Apartments, a 172-unit affordable housing community purchased by the Housing Authority of Washington County in 2023, will undergo some much-needed rehab and address significant deferred maintenance later this year thanks to a new low-income housing tax credit re-syndication.

Upcoming renovations will focus on extending the lifespan of the buildings, enhancing energy efficiency, improving accessibility and modernizing resident living spaces. The scope of work includes building exterior upgrades like new siding, roofs, and windows; site improvements for pedestrian accessibility and safety; unit updates like new appliances, fixtures; and other common area enhancements.

The Department has worked closely with Woodspring residents throughout this process, recently completing a resident meeting to discuss the upcoming renovations, with another resident meeting scheduled for July. DDV Consulting is handling relocation needs during construction and will host one-on-one meetings with each impacted resident household prior to construction start, so that we can better understand each household’s relocation needs.

The project is expected to start construction in October 2025 and be completed in December 2026. For more information on the Woodspring project, and the upcoming residents meeting this July, visit its project page.

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.

Homeless Count shows progress in homeless services, while need outpaces funding resources

As Molly shared in her letter above, Washington County released preliminary data as part of the federal 2025 Homeless Point in Time (PIT) Count this month. Data reflects state and national economic conditions, as well as the impact of expanded shelter and housing resources in Washington County. The PIT is a data gathering effort completed bi-annually and used to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness on one night in January, allowing us to consistently track trends in homelessness over time.

During the count, Washington County identified 940 people experiencing homelessness, 701 of whom were currently staying in one of our emergency shelters. This increase in people experiencing homelessness is directly reflective of the increase in shelter capacity as Washington County has added more than 400 year-round shelter units since 2020. Our sheltered count differs dramatically from state trends where 60% of Oregonians are experience homelessness are doing so outside. In Washington County, 75% of people experiencing homelessness are doing so in a humane environment with a bed and connections to other resources.

Additional analysis of the PIT data shows that 70% of individuals who were chronically homeless counted in our shelter programs for the 2024 Shelter Count, have since been housed, demonstrating that shelter programs are successfully connecting people to stable housing opportunities. In recent years, Washington County has been successful in creating housing placements for people experiencing homelessness due to rental assistance, case management services, and shelter connections especially funded by the regional Supportive Housing Services measure. The PIT is just one indicator of many that these services are both urgently needed and effectively implemented.

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.

Pierre’s story: A rising Certified Nursing Assistant thanks to housing

Pierre’s life today has changed dramatically over the past two years. Pierre first moved to the Pacific Northwest for a job opportunity that unexpectedly fell through soon after arriving. Next his housing fell through, and Pierre found himself homeless and staying at the Just Compassion shelter in Tigard, accessing services through their day center, with only the belongings he could fit in a suitcase and his guitar.

In shelter, Pierre was referred to the Rapid Rehousing program which pairs two-years of rental assistance with case management. He now lives in Tigard in a two-bedroom apartment with his son, in walking distance from his job where he works as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Pierre was awarded tuition to cover the total cost of training and pay for the testing for his CAN through the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) Career Start Program.

Pierre has five other adult children and has been able to reestablish relationships with family thanks to the stability provided by his career and rent assistance. “All of my kids can reach out and say, hey Dad, do you have $20? And I have it!”

To continue reading more on Pierre’s story, visit our blog page.

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.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, OR | washingtoncountyor.gov/housing