Clackamas County Exceeds Supportive Housing Services Goals in Program's Third Year; Spending Tripled

Homeless services network holds keys to housing, promise of community

OREGON CITY, Ore. – Clackamas County has built a comprehensive system of homeless services from the ground up since the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program launched across the tri-county area in 2021. As the third year of the SHS program concludes, preliminary annual outcomes show remarkable progress towards ending chronic homelessness in Clackamas County:

• 1,228 households (2679 people) had homelessness prevented with SHS funds, surpassing the goal of 625.   
• 196 households (472 people) were placed into rapid rehousing, surpassing the goal of 120.   
• 412 households (775 people) were placed into permanent supportive housing, surpassing the goal of 405. 
• 210 shelter units were built or sustained, surpassing the goal of 155.  
• More than 95% of people did not return to homelessness, across all SHS permanent supportive housing programs.   

 “Our county is serious about ending homelessness, and we’re seeing great progress through SHS,” said Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith. “People are moving quickly into housing, and homelessness has decreased in our county by 65% according to the point in time count. I can’t wait to see the outcomes in the years to come.” 

Highlights

One of many standout programs this year includes Clackamas County’s Coordinated Housing Access (CHA) program, which received the only National Association of Counties Award in the state of Oregon. CHA is one of SHS’s foundational programs that provides a single door for anyone in the county to access empathetic support, resources and the right housing fit for their needs.  

Key to its system of delivering supportive housing services, Clackamas County partners with more than two dozen community organizations. Other standout programs this year include the opening of one of the nation’s only shelters for Native American families, operated by the Native American Youth and Family Center. 

In addition, two new affordable apartment communities opened this year at Good Shepherd Village in Happy Valley and Mercy Greenbrae in Lake Oswego. At these sites, partnerships with Catholic Charities and Mercy Housing provide supportive housing services to ensure residents remain stably housed.

By the numbers

This year, Clackamas County spent more than $54 million to build out a deep network of homeless services that did not exist previously. Spending tripled compared to last year. 

At the beginning of SHS implementation, Clackamas County committed to place 1,065 households into permanent supportive housing, part of a tri-county goal to create 5,000 new permanent supportive housing units over the ten-year lifetime of the SHS measure. Three years in, the county is now within 150 placements of its 1,065 household commitment and is on track to surpass the goal in the coming months. Overall, Clackamas County has prevented homelessness for more than 3,000 people and placed more than 2,000 people into housing in the three years of the Supportive Housing Services program.

Clackamas County’s Supportive Housing Services year three annual report will be released October 31, 2024.