Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announces rural communities added 216 new shelter beds, more than doubling the goal set through Oregon’s Emergency Homelessness Response.
OHCS delivered funding and is providing technical assistance to partners throughout the rural regions, referred to as Balance of State, to help achieve the rural shelter and rehousing goals. The local planning groups surpassed their shelter target of 100 beds by 216% and are nearly halfway to rehousing 450 households with more than a year left to achieve the goals. OHCS is tracking the progress through a new dashboard.
"Rural Oregon is vital to our state’s past, present, and future. To sustainably deliver results for the people of Oregon, we must harness the potential of everyone from all parts of the state," said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. "This progress is a testament to leaders who showed up with vibrancy, values, and readiness to meet the needs while embracing a new approach."
OHCS received $26.1 million to help rural communities meet their housing goals. Every community across the Balance of State received funding to rehouse a specific number of households and was also able to use the funds for street outreach and to provide other critical services, such as rental assistance.
These resources are making a real impact on Oregonians. For instance, in Tillamook, an expecting couple found assistance at just the right time, and their baby was born shortly after they moved into a permanent home. Their case managers were also able to provide rental assistance funded by the emergency response. This allowed the new parents to take valuable family leave to focus on their new baby without worrying about losing their home. Since then, the dad has found a new job at much better pay and is optimistic about his family’s future.
OHCS also funded eleven high-impact shelter plans across ten communities. The agency selected the projects based on factors such as geographic diversity and shelter readiness.
About Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)
OHCS is Oregon's housing finance agency. The state agency provides financial and program support to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians of low and moderate income. OHCS administers programs that provide housing stabilization. OHCS delivers these programs primarily through grants, contracts, and loan agreements with local partners and community-based providers. For more information, please visit: oregon.gov/ohcs.Public Information Officer
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