Housing Persons with Special Needs

Special-needs housing projects generate very little income and, therefore, require deep subsidies so that rents are affordable to the residents who usually have very low (if any) income. The projects themselves can be more costly because of design considerations and the use of heavy-duty materials to extend the useful life of the project. In spite of this development dilemma, over the past few years, HACC has developed housing to meet the needs of specific groups, such as persons with developmental or psychiatric disabilities and the elderly.

HACC's success in developing special needs housing can be attributed to its many partnerships with other agencies and organizations. For example, HACC maintains an ongoing partnership with Clackamas County's Community Mental Health Center for developing and operating group homes. HACC develops and owns the group homes and leases them to Mental Health. Mental Health, in turn, contracts with nonprofit agencies to provide the day-to-day operations. This partnership model makes the best use of each agency's professional expertise. HACC manages the asset and Mental Health manages the program.

Special Needs Housing Portfolio

The Housing Authority owns and asset manages:

• 10 group homes for persons with developmental disabilities;
• 2 triplexes for persons with developmental disabilities;
• 4 group homes for persons with psychiatric disabilities; and
• 21-unit apartment house for persons with psychiatric disabilities

Clackamas Apartments Clackamas This 21-unit apartment house consists primarily of studios and one-bedroom units. It offers a semi-independent living environment for adults with psychiatric disabilities. The resident manager occupies the only two-bedroom unit. HACC contracts with a non-profit organization to provide management and maintenance of the apartments. CMHC provides on-site services to the residents.

Pearl Street Group Home Oregon City The 13-bed Pearl Street Group Home serves adults recovering from mental illness. Construction of the facility was financed with a variety of local, state and federal funds. Community Development Block Grant funds provided more than half of the construction funding.