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Housing Services E-Newsletter
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Woodspring Apartments,
Housing Affordability Preserved!
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After two years of negotiations, Washington County, with vital support from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), is glad to announce that on July 6 the Housing Authority officially purchased Woodspring Apartments from its now previous owner to preserve affordability rates and stabilize housing for its 172-unit residential community in Tigard.
Upon receiving the good news, the senior residents of Woodspring gathered with fellow neighbors to celebrate a moment of peace, in which they no longer had to fear being uprooted from their homes and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. A celebration party for the entire community, including friends and family, will be held on July 29th at a local church.
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Upon sharing the news, Director of OHCS Andrea Bell stated that “keeping Woodspring Apartments affordable for the residents who have called it home for many years is an investment in our shared values that everyone deserves safe, stable, and affordable housing.” Bell went on to add that OHCS is “committed to not only developing more affordable housing but preserving current affordable housing to ensure diversity, resilience, and a sense of belonging within a community can last for generations. Thank you to Washington County for stepping up in this collaborative effort.”
For more on Woodspring and its community's reaction, take a look at this short KGW video.
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Farewell to Former Director Komi Kalevor
One of Woodspring's most ardent supporters was former Housing Services Director Komi Kalevor. While he retired in June, his instrumental role in purchasing the property was not lost on the team or residents of Woodspring. He led the Department of Housing Services for almost a decade overseeing rental assistance, homelessness and public housing programs and affordable housing development that collectively served over 10,000 households. He has dedicated the last 30 years of his life in service to affordable housing.
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Some of Kalevor's previous roles include Senior Program Manager with the Portland Housing Bureau and Interim Housing Director with Prosper Portland. He has underwritten or project managed over 15,000 mixed-income and affordable housing units in the Pacific Northwest. He has also served on several non-profit boards such as Habitat for Humanity Portland Region and Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives.
When Kalvor joined the County, he had started when it quite small with less than 40 employees and was in a dire financial situation. He set about improving it by significantly expanding his team to a roster of almost 115 staff to not only heed the call of building 1000 affordable housing units, but almost doubling that number to around 2,000. "With nearly a billion dollars of economic activity within the County, we needed a team that was steady, conscientious, and in for the long haul," shared Kalevor. It's not just affordable housing though, Kalevor oversaw expansions to the County's rental assistance programs as well.
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"The challenges are huge, it's not just a rosy picture. So, we’ve been exploring where we can bring in more resources, and it's been successful. Metro has had a huge role. When it comes to homelessness it's about more than just housing, there's addiction, mental illness, and so on. This will take a collaboration," he continued. Regarding the seemingly unsurmountable homelessness crisis the region is facing, Kalevor had this to say, "Helping one person out of homelessness doesn’t change the world, but it changes the world for that person."
When asked what his happiest memory was, he immediately said to "watch it turn around. As a small department we were mostly ignored, but now we’re considered a resilient part of building an inclusive community by creating equal opportunities." Regarding retirement, he first stated he was apprehensive, saying you want "to leave on the power of your own legs." But he settled on another word: excitement. "That is more the word. Mentoring young people. Fishing, travelling...writing for fun. Being a new grandfather puts things in perspective."
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"I have appreciated Komi's thoughtful and gracious leadership style and his dedication to the agency and the people we serve. The example he set will be an inspiration for years to come! Best wishes for a well-deserved, relaxing and rewarding retirement!"
- Renae Myers, Data Analyst
"First, I would like to say how contagious his laugh is. Anytime he laughs it automatically puts a smile on my face. Second, I want to say how much I appreciate how he makes everyone feel welcome and lets people know he wants them here."
- Belinda Dickey, Sr. Unit Eligibility Specialist
In a letter to his colleagues, he had the following departing words: "I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside such dedicated and talented individuals. I would also like to extend my appreciation to the Board of Commissioners/Housing Authority Board of Directors and County Administration for entrusting me with this important responsibility. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Washington County."
In light of Kalevor's retirement, the County has brought on board Interim Director Michael Buonocore while it finalizes its search for its next housing leader, so stay tuned!
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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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Terrace Glen Grand Opening Celebrates New Affordable Housing Community in Tigard | |
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Thanks to the 2018 voter-approved Regional Affordable Housing Bond, Washington County and developer Related Northwest joined local leaders and partners to celebrate the completion of Terrace Glen Apartments, a new community providing 144 much-needed affordable homes. Located in the heart of the Metzger neighborhood within the Washington Square District, Terrace Glen is an intergenerational development for low and very low-income families and seniors, with three units for homeless youth.
Terrace Glen is the largest Washington County metro bond project to be completed, moving the County closer to not only achieving, but actually surpassing its housing goals, as touched upon in this Portland Tribune article. Public-private partnerships like these are an integral part of the County’s plan to build more affordable housing. “Housing insecurity affects us all, so when people cannot afford homes for themselves and their families, housing like Terrace Glen are part of the answer. This demonstrates the power of a community coming together to build a brighter future. It is through this spirit of collaboration, in honor of The Oregon Way, that we can achieve concrete results,” shared County Chair Kathryn Harrington.
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Terrace Glen was designed by C2K Architecture and constructed by Walsh Construction with a sustainable Earth Advantage Multifamily Certification. It is comprised of two, 4-story buildings formed around an inner courtyard that creates a central communal area with a playground and barbeque area. Surrounding the courtyard are common area amenities such as a community kitchen, mail room (pictured top left), teen lounge (pictured top right), arts and craft space, laundry, and car/bicycle parking. Terrace Glen consists of studio and one-to-four-bedroom apartments. Rents are $592‐$1,706 per month. | |
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Interested in Waitlist Openings?
Keep up to date with Washington County's Department of Housing Services affordable housing and vouchers' waitlist openings by checking out our dedicated webpage & signing up to our e-newsletter. When the time comes, these are the places we'll notify people first. Share them with family, friends and colleagues.
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60 Shelter Pods Coming Online
After completing a robust community engagement process, Washington County is gearing up to open two new temporary pod shelter locations. Both locations will be operated by Open Door HousingWorks, who will ensure 24/7 staffing and implement a comprehensive plan to address safety needs, neighborhood livability, and ongoing communication.
First up, the Cornelius Safe Rest Pods on Fourth Ave. This site will repurpose pods originally purchased for a location in Hillsboro to provide shelter to 30-40 individuals. This site is currently slated to open late August.
Next in line, is the Safe Rest Village at Aloha UMC. This site will use newly purchased pallet homes to provide shelter to 30 individuals with an anticipated October opening date.
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Washington County currently funds 426 shelter beds/rooms 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. Pod style shelter is a helpful addition to our capacity as it provides temporary, mobile shelter options, individual space for shelter guests, and fills gaps in our location availability given there is no existing shelter capacity in Cornelius or Aloha.
To learn more about ours pod and view community meeting recordings, visit our website.
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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. | |
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Our mission is to provide a continuum of affordable housing options that promotes 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 including A Road Home: Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness and the Supportive Housing Services program.
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