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Housing Services E-Newsletter
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Hello Washington County,
The path to a community where everyone has an affordable home, with the supports and opportunities each of us needs to thrive, is a long one. Some days our pace is slower than others but make no mistake this journey is a marathon not a sprint. Today, I am leaning into the gratitude we need to sustain us in our shared mission.
First and foremost, I am grateful for our partners in this work. Partners like Rachael Duke and the rest of the Community Partners for Affordable Housing team, who celebrated a grand opening of Plambeck Gardens this month (more below). Partners like Open Door HousingWorks, Centro Cultural, Project Homeless Connect, and more that recently supported a tour welcoming new managers in our Homeless Services Division and representing key elements of our system of care. Partners like our advisory committee members, volunteers who take time out of their busy lives to guide and advise us in this work. To our five new Housing Advisory Committee members who joined their first meeting this month, welcome and thank you!
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Washington County relies on partners to advance our mission. And I rely on our staff to lean into our CARES values (collaboration, accountability, responsiveness, equity, and sustained impact). Every other month, we celebrate our staff by recognizing those nominated by their peers for going above and beyond to exemplify our values in their work. I hope you can join me in appreciating the staff that have received CARES awards since we first launched it last year – Jessi Adams, Strategic Projects Supervisor; Jim Wageman, Software Applications Specialist; and Meredith Cook, Administrative Assistant. Thank you!
Best,
Molly Rogers
| | Tualatin welcomes 116 families to Plambeck Gardens, its largest and latest affordable housing community | | |
In tribute to the late Doug Plambeck, a dedicated champion of affordable housing, a new community in Tualatin called Plambeck Gardens opened its doors earlier this month to provide stable housing to 116 families. The grand opening included local elected officials, project partners, and Doug’s family. The project was possible thanks to public-private partnerships and funding from the Metro Affordable Housing Bond.
Community Partners for Affordable Housing, a nonprofit in which Plambeck was a founding member, is the developer of the site that spans 4.66 acres in the Basalt Creek area and features a community center, green spaces, communal gardens and a playground. With homes ranging from one to four bedrooms, the property is well-suited to support families in need of stable, quality housing.
Homes are affordable to those with incomes under 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is $70,800 for a family of four. Forty percent of the homes are deeply affordable, reserved for households earning up to 30% of the AMI. In addition, sixteen of the apartments are permanent supportive housing units for people exiting homelessness. The support includes rent assistance and comprehensive services for vulnerable residents. Community Action, Lifeworks NW, Centro Cultural, Worksystems, Inc., and Neighborhood Health Center offers resident support such as culturally responsive services and employment assistance.
If you’re interested in making Plambeck Gardens your home, check out this flyer for more!
| | April’s Fair Housing Month kicked off with a county proclamation and exhibit | | |
On the first of this month the Board of County Commissioners recognized April as Fair Housing Month in Washington County during a proclamation. Recognizing Fair Housing Month supports both regional efforts to celebrate the strides that have been made and to highlight the work that remains to be done.
This year, 2025, commemorates 57 years since the passage of the Fair Housing Act. The federal Fair Housing Act was adopted to prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, and familial status. In addition, Oregon includes protections for marital status, sources of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, and survivors of domestic violence.
The Fair Housing Council of Oregon’s theme for this year’s Fair Housing Month is “Together We Build a Neighborhood.” Their exhibit, “Anywhere But Here,” was set up by Washington County’s Office of Community Development at our Public Services Building for residents to learn more about the history of fair housing in Oregon. The Fair Housing Council of Oregon remains an important resource for all in providing education and preventing discrimination – we are thankful for their work in serving Oregon!
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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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Housing Services awarded funding for Innovative health and housing integration pilot
Washington County is excited to launch a pilot program focused on offering housing services in a behavioral health setting thanks to a one-time Housing 360 award of $700,000 from Oregon Housing and Community Services (see media coverage here).
In this new pilot, we will partner with Sequoia, New Narrative and Lifeworks with housing liaisons embedded at their behavioral health clinics. This gives Washington County staff and partners the opportunity to deliver housing navigation supports where people are already engaged and receiving behavioral health care, we’ll also learn more about leveraging Medicaid funding to support housing navigation services and participate in shared learnings with other partners across the state.
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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 with our community.
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Lisa’s story: A family thriving thanks Community Connect and affordable housing
Washington County is currently the most expensive county in the state, with an average monthly rent of nearly $2,000. For so many families in our community, this means that they are housing cost burdened – spending too much of their income on rent alone. This why affordable housing, like the newly opened development, Altura Apartments, can change lives.
Thanks to the 2018 voter-approved Metro Affordable Housing Bond, Altura Apartments celebrated its grand opening last month in Beaverton, bringing 75 new affordable homes to our county’s families. Families, like Lisa and her four children, are finally able to make a home and be part of a flourishing community with a rent payment that is affordable. They have the opportunity to thrive, not just survive.
From leaving an unsafe family situation to living in cramped spaces, from switching careers entirely and becoming a single mother, Lisa has persevered and prospered with the support of Community Connect and Washington County resources.
For more on Lisa's story, read here.
| | 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. | |  | | | | |
