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Clackamas County has taken great strides in the first year of implementing the supportive housing services (SHS) program, hiring staff and building new infrastructure that will allow us to accomplish the goal of ending chronic homelessness. During the fourth quarter of the 2021-22 FY, the SHS program conducted six new procurements to significantly expand services. These upcoming services mark the largest investment in housing and homeless services in the history of Clackamas County. Committed expenditures and contracts in the first year of the program totaled $11.36 million.
Overall, 170 formerly homeless residents of our county now have a permanent home, and 202 households received rent assistance through SHS funds. This does not include housing, rent assistance and eviction protection provided through other funding sources outside of SHS.
Notably, the county’s new street outreach program will track every individual living outdoors by name and will visit them regularly to get each person on the path to housing. In addition, Clackamas County and the Housing Authority of Clackamas County held the grand opening of Tukwila Springs, the first development to open with services funded by the SHS program. Tukwila Springs is a 48-unit permanent supportive housing development in Gladstone for older adults, with 12 of these apartments designated for Native Americans.
In the fourth quarter, new procurements were initiated or existing services expanded in the following areas:
- Veterans Village transitional shelter operations and case management
- Expanded emergency shelter operations
- Outreach and engagement services
- Justice system diversion supportive services
- Peer services for Housing Authority of Clackamas County programs
- Supportive housing case management and the County’s Shelter + Care program
- Hotel/motel emergency shelter program
- Housing navigation and housing placement
- Regional Long-term Rent Assistance
- Transitional mental health stabilization housing
Hiring will continue to be a top priority for the SHS program. Positions are still to be filled to support finances and administration; lead equity and engagement; plan coordinated housing access programming; provide data quality oversight; conduct performance monitoring and reporting; and plan and coordinate programming.