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County accepts OHA housing grant to administer rent and utility support for Medicaid members
Summary
Deschutes County accepted a $350,000‑class Oregon Health Authority grant to set up staff and administration for health‑related social needs housing supports that will be available only to certain Medicaid enrollees; commissioners approved the chair’s signature on document 2025‑016.
Deschutes County commissioners voted to accept an Oregon Health Authority (OHA) grant to set up administration for a housing assistance program aimed at certain Medicaid enrollees.
The measure — recorded as document number 2025‑016 — was described by Kara Cronin, intensive adult services program manager with the county Health Services Division, as funding the infrastructure needed to deliver rental, deposit and utility payments to eligible people. Cronin said, “So it's essentially like pass through. We will pay someone's rent. We invoice the state. They pay us back.”
The grant package shown in the staff packet allocates about $241,624 to hire a new staff person to administer the program and roughly $62,700 for psychiatric provider care; speakers defined the funding as being for administrative and related provider support rather than direct rental funds in the grant line item. Cronin said the county will invoice OHA for actual rental assistance payments, and the grant pays to create the administrative capacity to do that.
Commissioners and staff clarified eligibility: Cronin said the assistance covered by this specific OHA award is limited to Medicaid members served through PacificSource or the state’s Open Card (Oregon Health Plan) coverage. When a commissioner asked whether “anyone who's on OHP” would be eligible, staff reiterated, “Medicaid is eligible for this” and that PacificSource and Mosaic Medical would be two pathways for eligible members to access assistance under the program.
The board approved the chair’s signature on the grant agreement after a motion and second. The motion to accept document 2025‑016 passed on unanimous voice vote.
Why this matters: County staff said the grant creates a local mechanism to deliver short‑term rental, deposit and utility assistance to a defined group of Medicaid recipients who otherwise had limited, readily accessible options. Commissioners noted community need, including recent constituent contacts from people seeking one‑time help with deposits or utility bills.
The county will administer payments to eligible households and seek reimbursement from OHA; staff emphasized that the appropriation described for personnel in the packet does not itself preclude other state funds being available for direct assistance under the broader program.
What’s next: Staff will finalize the hiring and administrative steps required to operate the program, take invoices to OHA for reimbursement, and coordinate with regional partners such as PacificSource and Mosaic Medical to route eligible clients to the available pathway.
