Klamath Connections reports dozens housed, seeks broader outreach and funding

Kenzie, a coordinator with the Klamath Connections homeless response group, told the Klamath County Board of Commissioners on April 30 that the program has moved “a good portion” of people from homelessness into case‑managed housing and is looking to expand outreach and funding.

Klamath Connections has housed 45 people using one long‑term fund and about 26 on another, Kenzie said, and most remain in housing with ongoing case management. One fund provides one year of full rental assistance; the other provides two years of full rental assistance. Kenzie said the program uses several long‑term funding streams and is seeking additional grants, including a previously unsuccessful competitive application for a roughly $800,000 program that would have combined housing and mental‑health services.

The report matters because it documents both short‑term housing outcomes and ongoing gaps in outreach and services across Klamath County. Commissioners and staff pressed Klamath Connections about coverage in outlying towns, coordination with law enforcement and the jail, and data collection planned for a summer point‑in‑time count.

“We have housed a good portion of the list, and you’ll be happy to know most of them are still in housing,” Kenzie said, describing the program’s case management approach. She said the group has restructured into subteams focused on youth and families and on individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Christina Glass and Craig (identified in the transcript as IYS’s director) are facilitating a new leadership group for the initiative.

Kenzie described existing partnerships that help with placements: local livability officers, including Officer Amos, and local landlords who will route problems through the Klamath Connections case managers before pursuing eviction. She said some deputies and county staff sometimes accompany housing visits when a client is assessed as high risk. Kenzie described a collaboration with Rogue Credit Union to clear utility collection bills so power can be placed in a formerly unhoused person’s name and stabilizing housing.

Commissioners and Klamath Connections discussed outreach in smaller communities including Bonanza, White Mountain, Bly, Beatty, Chiloquin and Gilchrist. Kenzie said Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) funds some of the work and that OHCS and Klamath Connections plan targeted outreach to Bonanza and White Mountain to explore housing options there. She said IYS operates a mobile hub in northern Klamath County; Klamath Connections tries to partner with that but acknowledged that outreach does not yet reach everyone.

Commissioners asked Kenzie to contact undersheriff Mike Smith and jail staff so outreach and screening could be coordinated with newly hired deputies and with jail public‑health screens, and Kenzie agreed. Kenzie also said Klamath Connections will conduct a local, unofficial summer point‑in‑time count to collect additional data, including questions about whether individuals have family or others elsewhere who could help with reunification. She said the local count will include customized questions to better understand who is passing through the county versus who is locally connected.

Kenzie cautioned that some people encountered say they want to return to family in other states; staff can fund travel if a receiving family member can be contacted and confirmed. She said such relocations have not yet occurred in Klamath Connections’ work because many people do not have a reachable contact.

Kenzie described persistent barriers: lack of larger affordable units (three‑ or four‑bedroom units), rising disposal and utility costs for tenants, and a growing mental‑health crisis among people experiencing homelessness. She said private landlords have been willing to rent to program participants when units are certified by the state, noting a state reimbursement program that can cover up to $2,000 in damages (Kenzie said “$20” in the transcript; staff should confirm the exact statutory program language and dollar limits before citing that amount).

The board and Klamath Connections agreed to stay in contact about the coordinated‑care model Kenzie described, to pursue outreach to outlying communities with OHCS, and to explore formal linkages with the sheriff’s office and the jail’s screening processes. Kenzie said she will share results from the summer point‑in‑time count and follow up on grant opportunities and other funding options.

The discussion was informational; no formal vote or ordinance was taken during the session.