Supportive Housing Services August Newsletter

Welcome to the Supportive Housing Services Newsletter!

Washington County

August 31, 2021 | SHSinfo@co.washington.or.us

Bridge Shelter Programs Achieve Goal for Expanded Shelter Capacity

Aloha Inn Permanent Supportive Housing

SHS team tour of Econo Lodge

Forest Grove Inn

Expanding available shelter options for people experiencing homelessness is a Supportive Housing Services program priority with 100 additional beds of year-round shelter. This month, Washington County met this goal with three new Bridge Shelter programs that together provide 102 shelter rooms for individuals and families experiencing homeless.

Our Bridge Shelter programs are already operating at capacity, providing emergency shelter and services to connect guests to permanent housing solutions! As each family or individual achieves their housing goal, a new room will open – helping end homelessness one room at a time!

The Housing Authority of Washington County purchased Aloha Inn with Regional Affordable Housing Bond and Housing Production Opportunity Fund funds. The building will be converted into 52 units of permanent and supported housing for people with disabling conditions and is slated to open Summer 2022. While half of the building is under construction, the other half is providing emergency shelter with 22 rooms of Bridge Shelter. The program is managed by the Good Neighbor Center which provides meals, security, and staff to help each person work towards stable housing.

The most recent addition to Washington County’s Bridge Shelter program is the Forest Grove Inn purchased by Centro Cultural also through Project Turnkey. This former hotel offers 20 rooms of shelter for individuals and families working with case managers towards permanent housing. This is the first year-round shelter program in Forest Grove and brings needed shelter capacity to Western Washington County.

Washington County’s long-term goal is to create capacity for 250 shelter beds all year round, with four to five new sites throughout the County. If your community is working to create shelter capacity, please reach out to the SHS team to learn more about funding opportunities.

Note: These and other housing and shelter programs can be accessed through Community Connect, Washington County’s centralized access point for all housing resources.

Join our team!

We are currently recruiting for two Supportive Housing Services Program Analysts. These roles will assist with developing, supporting and monitoring programs that provide housing-based services and support to individuals who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness. Duties will include relation-based contract management and fiscal oversight, assisting with policy and procedure updates to improve program implementation, support of Coordinated Entry System (Community Connect) implementation and programmatic updates, and supporting all departmental, community oversight and inter-agency reporting requirements. To learn more, click here.