|
Housing Services E-Newsletter
| | |
Hello Washington County,
I know many of us are watching the news with deep concern as the federal government shutdown extends to 32 days. Over 3,700 households depend on federal assistance in Washington County for housing and shelter. Housing Authority programs are not yet impacted, but programs that many of our participants rely on are. Federal rental assistance programs and public housing units are protected from most major shutdown impacts unless the shutdown extends into December.
However, I am deeply concerned about the impact on families who rely on programs like SNAP, which will likely be suspended Sunday. If you or you know of someone in need of food assistance, you can find your local food bank here. We will closely monitor congressional action and support our community as best as we can through this uncertain time.
Yesterday, we hosted our annual housing forum with over 100 people in attendance. We were honored to be joined by an esteemed panel of housing leaders across the state: Representative Pam Marsh, Oregon Housing and Community Services Director Andrea Bell, Home Forward CEO Ivory Mathews, and Bienestar Executive Director Nathan Teske. My deepest thanks for their leadership and time with us in Washington County. We released our inaugural annual report highlighting our achievements from both the Department of Housing Services and the Housing Authority of Washington County last fiscal year. Through our programs, we are proud to share that we supported more than 20,700 people – that's nearly the population of Sherwood! The full report is available online to review.
At the housing forum, we also celebrated the people that support this work. This year, we launched the Community CARES award to recognize an individual who works to create housing solutions and embodies our CARES values. Our department advisory bodies came together to nominate nine community members who have had an outsized impact in Washington County. This year, we are proud to honor Elly Smith with Open Door Housing Works with the inaugural CARES award! Congratulations, Elly! Join me in thanking people like Elly who work every day to create a Washington County where everyone has an affordable home with the support and opportunities each of us needs to thrive.
Best,
Molly
| | Department hosts Annual Housing Forum to examine how we navigate a changing housing landscape | | |
Yesterday housing experts, service providers, and elected officials gathered for the department’s 2025 Annual Housing Forum. This year’s forum gathered our region’s leaders to discuss the shifting context of our housing work, characterized by federal funding and policy changes, and budget constraints at the state and local levels.
During the forum, the panel of state and regional leaders reflected on significant investments made in housing over the last decade, juxtaposed with the challenging impacts of recent federal actions in our communities and housing work. Panel members were asked how they assess the benefits and drawbacks of policy changes coming from DC and Salem, and how we can better utilize local dollars to navigate the challenges ahead.
| | |
The panel concluded with a call to action for bold leadership moving forward and stronger support for local collaborations to increase affordable housing, key to preventing homelessness.
The event closed with presenting our first-ever “Community CARES” award. County Chair Kathryn Harrington presented the award to Elly Smith, a Housing Placement Specialist at Open Door HousingWorks, for their impact on the community. Elly is recognized for being ‘relentlessly resourceful’ in serving her clients and advocating for a stronger safety net system in our community.
| |
|
|
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.
| | | |
First-ever Place-Based Housing waitlist opens November 4 - 10 for vouchers and public housing
The Housing Authority of Washington County is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of the first-ever Place-Based Housing waitlist, which efficiently combines and streamlines Project-Based Vouchers and Public Housing units! It will open from 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4 to 5:00 p.m. Monday, November 10, 2025. Please help spread the word!
The previously separate lists were last opened to the community in October 2022, and September 2023, respectively. The newly combined list helps connect residents to over 830 homes throughout Washington County, with numerous vacancies coming soon. We strongly encourage people struggling with housing stability to apply.
This year, the County will be implementing a brand-new “zoned based” system, simplifying and expediting the process for applicants. It will organize the waitlist for available properties into four regional zones: Forest Grove/Corneilus, Hillsboro, Beaverton/North of 26, and Tigard. If an applicant is already on a waitlist with the County, they will also be able to apply to this one. One thing that isn’t changing is our free application process.
If you’re interested in housing assistance, visit the waitlists page for more information.
| | Renovations begin to preserve 172 affordable homes at the Woodspring Apartments | | |
The Housing Authority of Washington County, along with local officials and partners, celebrated the beginning of a comprehensive 15-month renovation project to modernize 172 affordable homes for the residents of Woodspring Apartments. This initiative will significantly improve the quality of life for hundreds of people, many of whom are seniors, who call Woodspring home and preserve the affordability of these homes for thousands of low-income residents for decades to come.
In 2021, residents learned that their homes could become unaffordable as regulations from a 1991 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit agreement were set to expire. Residents were quick to mobilize and asked the Board of County Commissioners to intervene. Thanks to resources through Oregon Housing and Community Services, Washington County was able to purchase Woodspring from its previous owner in 2023 to preserve the affordable housing community.
Necessary renovations on the 30+ year old community began this month, with new public-private partnerships in place to fund the project. Improvements will extend the buildings’ lifespan, enhance energy efficiency, improve accessibility, and modernize spaces for current and future tenants. Jill Grossman, the Woodspring Tenants Association’s secretary, shared, “We were relieved when the County purchased Woodspring.... Now it's time for much-needed renovations, and our community looks forward to having a safer, more comfortable living environment.”
For a deeper look into the event and project, check out this recent TV news segment.
| |
| |
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.
| | | | |
Maria’s Story: Another homeowner thanks to the stability public housing provides
Becoming a first-time homeowner in Washington County is challenging for so many of our residents. The median-age of first-time homebuyers in our country is 38 years old, up from 30 years old just a decade ago. With increasing inflation, mortgage rates, and housing prices, the American Dream is at risk, and for very low-income Americans, that dream is highly improbable, but not impossible.
Homeownership programs can keep this dream alive. One story of perseverance and dedication is that of Maria who was able to work from renting her home through a public housing program with the Housing Authority of Washington County to becoming a new homeowner!
Maria, a hardworking mother employed with a local company for the past seven years, lives with her four kids (two in university, one in high school and one in elementary). She is a long-time resident of Beaverton, even before she recently bought her new home through a Habitat for Humanity program.
For more on Maria’s story of how she overcame challenges in her life to move out of a public housing and buy her own home, 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. | |  | | | | |
