Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Fully Committed and Changing Lives

Posted September 11, 2024

After establishing and scaling up the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program in the first three years, Washington County has built out a comprehensive system of care that is meeting people experiencing homelessness where they are at as they move towards long-term housing. Our system of care has been built on the bedrock foundation of local partnerships, cross-sector collaboration, and political leadership to serve our most vulnerable community members. Thank you to Metro for their leadership in sponsoring the Supportive Housing Services measure and to regional voters who believed in the vision of making homelessness brief, rare, and non-recurring in our community.

This work has been extremely effective: with a solutions-based approach Washington County has achieved a 35.5% decline in unsheltered homelessness and closed down its large encampments. In the first three program years (July 2021 - June 2024), SHS resources housed 3,816 households experiencing a housing crisis. SHS resources also support the year-round operation of 420 shelter units, ten outreach teams, and case managers to support thousands of households.

This past year, Washington County and its contracted partners utilized 100% of the available SHS budget. Department of Housing Service executive director Molly Rogers shares, "The Homeless Services Division, along with our partners, worked hard to turn every last dollar into homes and shelter that are actively ending and preventing homelessness every day in our community." Looking to the future, Program Year Four of SHS implementation will be focused on system refinement as all Washington County SHS resources are fully allocated, committed, and planned for.

Washington County's Homeless Services Division annual report, anticipated in October 2024, will include details about the work happening behind the scenes to mitigate homelessness and create housing stability. The spectrum of resources supported by the county starts with outreach providers and access centers offering a front door entry point to receiving services, continues through a variety of shelter options dispersed across our community, and ends with long-term housing and services in place to see program participants stay stably housed.

"It seems like yesterday voters made the landmark decision to establish regional Supportive Housing Services investments," says Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington. "I am proud our community is making the best use of these investments. Every day, someone in our community is walking through their own front door for the first time in years and we get to be a part of that welcome home moment."

Preliminary Program Year Three outcomes (July 2023 - June 2024) clearly demonstrate the sustained impact of the SHS measure in Washington County. Highlights from last year include:

• An estimated 10,466 people (5,694 unique households[1]) served with SHS funded services. That's nearly three times the seats at the Ron Tonkin field where the Hillsboro Hops play.
• 1,216 people (693 households) were able to move into housing with the average length of homelessness almost three years, including:
  • 679 people (399 households) rehoused with long-term rent assistance and wrap-around services.
  • 527 people (247 households) rehoused with medium-term rent assistance and wrap-around services.
• 4,443 people (1,565 households) served with eviction prevention services and rent assistance.
• 1,844 people (1,367 households) served in Washington County shelters.
• 420 shelter beds (90 beds opening in the last year) are operating in Washington County to serve the varied needs of people exiting homelessness including shelter focused on youth, veterans, families with children, and medically fragile adults.
• Fully allocated the SHS budget, deploying 100% of the budget and exceeding the 85% spending goal.

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