Dear Washington County,



There is so much to be thankful for this holiday season.

First, I am grateful for and inspired by all the housing experts, elected officials, service providers, and community leaders who came together last week at Washington County’s Department of Housing Services Annual Housing Forum. I deeply appreciate Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon State Senators Lieber and Aaron Woods, Oregon State Representative Farrah Chaichi, Metro Councilors Juan Carlos González and Gerritt Rosenthal, Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington and Commissioner Nafisa Fai for attending. The two panels, focused on housing and behavioral health and affordable housing preservation, were excellent, thought-provoking, and solutions oriented.

Second, I would like to congratulate the City of Beaverton for opening their first year-round Beaverton Shelter last week. I’m thankful for the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) funding which made it all possible. This site is a beacon of what purpose-built spaces can be when we intentionally fund homeless services work. It took many levels of government working together to get to the celebration this month, which included elected officials like Governor Tina Kotek, State Senator Kate Lieber, Chair Kathryn Harrington, Commissioner Pam Treece, Mayor Lacey Beaty, city councilors, and more.

Thanks to the SHS measure and Regional Affordable Housing Bond we were able to open almost 250 new affordable homes and around 100 shelter beds this year alone. And we are seeing the results in reduced unsheltered homelessness. Metro has been leading a conversation around reforming the SHS measure that would reduce the tax rate, add new uses such as affordable housing, and extend the sunset. While some of these are welcome proposals, if the reductions in funding are too drastic, Washington County risks going backwards and not being able to uphold our commitment to our community’s vulnerable members established in the original SHS measure.

This potentially comes at a time when we are navigating unchartered waters with the incoming federal administration and what may transpire in terms of new leadership at the U.S. Department of Housing. I got to join other housing authority executive directors from across the country at a convening of the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities in Washington last week to discuss and prepare for the future.

And so, let’s be thankful to those who continuing fighting to house our neighbors.

Happy Thanksgiving, 

Molly Rogers

Housing Services gathers experts and leaders to chart path forward

In spirit of “The Oregon Way,” Oregonians from all different backgrounds gathered to connect and consider complicated issues around homelessness and affordable housing and elevate thought leaders and their innovative solutions. Two panels were held on housing issues prominent in our community. 

The first panel centered around the relationship between behavioral health and housing, specifically focusing on how we serve high-need populations. Panelists included Senator Lieber, Jeremy Koehler of Health Share of Oregon, Jeremiah Rigsby of Care Oregon, Yoni Khan of Northwest Pilot Project and Sean Hubert of Central City Concern. They discussed promising and best practices in integrating the two vital systems of housing and healthcare that need to work together to solve intractable societal challenges. 

The second panel looked into the preservation of affordable housing, which according to Oregon Housing & Community Services (OHCS) 593 units will lose affordability in five years in our county. This is because the funding source, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, are 30 years old, and when developments are built, they only promise 30 years of affordable rent. Panelists Michael of OHCS, Ryan Fisher of NW Public Affairs and Sean Clark of BRIDGE Housing discussed then how can we best preserve these units. 

If you want to watch the entire forum or just some tidbits, check it out on our YouTube page. You can also take a look at KOIN’s coverage, highlighting this moment as an ‘inflection point.’ 

Rebekah’s story: A journey from homelessness to housing advocacy

Homelessness is an incredibly challenging experience that is difficult to overcome, but the resilience of the people of our community should give us all hope. Every day, SHS resources are helping neighbors like Rebekah, a Washington County resident who experienced homelessness, thrive. Now, she is a successful businesswoman and fierce advocate for more affordable housing in our community.

Rebekah is pictured (right center) with Tualatin Mayor Frank Bubenik and city council members in September holding a proclamation she authored declaring October 10 ‘Affordable Housing & Quality Childcare Day.’ This was in no small part thanks to her advocacy for the city to address two critical community needs. On that same day, she shared her own story of experiencing homelessness in a public testimony that included a passionate appeal for more resources to address our housing crisis.

After the testimony the county reached out to thank her for sharing and chatted with her about her journey. The interview has been edited for length and clarity and can be found here.

Celebrating excellence in public service: The CARES Award

Earlier this year we announced an exciting new employee recognition program that celebrates staff going above and beyond to embody our values. The first-ever CARES Award, honoring our values of Collaboration, Accountability, Responsiveness, Equity, and Sustained impact (CARES), was presented to Jessi Adams, our strategic projects supervisor.

Nicole Stingh, Jessi’s supervisor, had this to share when nominating her for the award: “Jessi is the definition of a systems thinker. She doesn't just think about the problem she's solving right now, but the problems that may arise in one, two, ten years after a decision is made. Even when it may mean more work for her or her team - she asks the hard questions and helps all of us better understand the impact of our work. Jessi lives the value of sustained impact.”

Many in the community may know Jessi from her work in leading shelter siting, procurements for access centers and transitional housing, and much more. We are delighted to celebrate Jessi’s great work and the contributions of all our team members focused on our mission to create pathways out of homelessness, promotion housing stability, and invest in affordable communities for Washington County and our residents.