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Housing Services E-Newsletter
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Molly Rogers joins as new Housing Director | |
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Washington County Administrator Tanya Ange appointed Molly Rogers to be the director of the county's Department of Housing Services after a nationwide recruitment and competitive selection process. She will begin her new role on October 9.
Rogers is currently the interim director at the Portland Housing Bureau, where she had been deputy director since 2019. Previously Rogers was the director of asset management and housing policy at Home Forward, the housing authority serving Multnomah County. Rogers also has experience as an asset management director with the Housing Development Center, a nonprofit real estate consulting group in Portland.
“I’m thrilled to serve as the next housing director where I will bring my passion and experience in each facet of the Department of Housing Services to ensure an integrated approach to ending homelessness, keeping people in their homes and creating and preserving affordable housing,” said Rogers. “I owe the beginnings of my career to many community leaders in Washington County 23 years ago, which means coming back to lead this agency is like coming home for me.”
For more information on Rogers' appointment, read our press release.
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Cornelius safe rest pod
village grand opening
The Cornelius Safe Rest Pods will open their doors September 5 and program participants will move in throughout the week. To commemorate this important milestone, Open Door HousingWorks, Washington County and other community leaders gathered together yesterday to celebrate the new shelter program, with house plants and welcome notes for future program guests. This milestone comes at the end of a lengthy community engagement process. Community conversations have been a pivotal piece of developing the program and are an important reminder of the value of community partnership.
The new Safe rest Pod Village is the first and only shelter in Cornelius. The pods are fully electrified with heating and air conditioning, newly installed floors, and double and single bed options for couples.
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Washington County currently funds 426 shelter beds operating county-wide to provide emergency shelter throughout our community. Shelter provides a meaningful steppingstone to help people experiencing homelessness start their journey towards long-term, affordable housing. Pods include 24/7 on-site staff trained in safety, housing and employment support. The shelter will provide a proactive supportive presence in the neighborhood, enforce a Code of Conduct for guests, and offer a dedicated phone number for neighbors.
To learn more about our safe rest pod village program, check our website.
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Public Housing waitlist opens Sept. 20
Three hundred slots on our Public Housing waitlist for two-to-four-bedroom homes will accept new applicants from Sept. 20-26, 2023. Be sure to keep on the lookout for the official opening announcement on our website, social media channels and in the news. If you are interested in applying, take a look at the county's Public Housing webpage. Applications will only be accepted via our online portal, unless special accommodations are requested via email.
The Public Housing Program provides stable and affordable rental housing for eligible low-income families and individuals. Participants pay rent directly to the housing authority based on income, usually 30% of the household's monthly adjusted income.
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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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Alongside: Tigard's next big housing community
Developed by our partner Northwest Housing Alternatives, the newest Metro-bond affordable housing property in Washington County, Alongside Senior Apartments, will open its doors to the public with a grand opening celebration later this year. Adjacent to Tigard Senior Center and Fanno Creek Natural Area, the development's 57 apartment homes will be for seniors aged +62. For a sneak peak, take a look at the collage below of a site tour in May.
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Apartments come with fully equipped kitchens, dishwashers, air-conditioning and walk-in showers and closets. There will be a community outdoor space, a room with a teaching kitchen, and a fireplace-equipped lounge. Other amenities include a private meeting room, laundry facilities, covered outdoor seating areas and an enclosed rooftop space.
The Housing Authority of Washington County is contributing 23 Project-Based Voucher units in the building - units that have additional rental assistance included to make the homes affordable to very low-income households. Five of these units will be dedicated to veterans who are experiencing homelessness, through a partnership with our local Veterans Affairs.
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Congresswoman Bonamici tours Heartwood Commons
This month Rep. Suzanne Bonamici paid a visit to Washington County's largest and newest permanent supportive housing community, Heartwood Commons. During her tour she praised the crucial support services the county's partners, Community Partners for Affordable Housing and Sequoia Mental Health Services, have been providing for the residents at the 54-studio complex.
"The need for more affordable housing and supportive housing comes up everywhere, across northwest Oregon, and not just in Oregon, it's really across the country," said Bonamici. Thanks to the 2018 Metro Affordable Housing Bond and the 2020 Regional Supportive Housing Services measure, the county is making progress. "We know that our communities will be healthier, safer, and everyone, should have a safe place to call home.... It's just going to take all of us working together," she continued.
Take a deeper look into the tour with this Hillsboro NewsTimes article.
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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 that demonstrate our resolve as a community.
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Housing careers pilot program launched | |
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Adrian Burris has experienced homelessness and struggled with addiction, working low-paying jobs that enabled him to just barely get by. Today, he is the Director of Operations for 4D Recovery, a nonprofit that provides recovery support services to teens and young adults.
On a crisp January morning at Portland Community College’s Hillsboro center, coffee and donuts are spread out on a desk in one of the classrooms, welcoming the first cohort of Washington County’s new housing careers pilot program. Adrian introduces himself to the class by sharing his own journey from houselessness and substance abuse to having a stable home and employment.
As an ice-breaker, he asks students – all of whom have also dealt with homelessness or extreme housing insecurity, and who are referred to by their first name below – what they would like to learn from the training.
“I’d like to learn more about the housing side of things,” Fawn explains. “I’ve worked in mental health for eleven years but being without permanent housing for like two years has just [given me] a different perspective.” Yolanda also feels that her own past with addiction and homelessness has uniquely prepared her to support others going through similar challenges: “We know how it feels and I’ve been through it.”
To continue reading this in-depth story by Metro, click here.
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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 as our positions' list continue to be updated. | | |
Our mission is to provide a continuum of affordable housing options that promote community strength. The department offers rental assistance to low-income households through various federally funded programs, creates affordable housing opportunities in the community for low- and moderate-income households through a combination of creative financing and partnerships with public and private entities and administers programs to address homelessness. | |  |
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