Washington County officials tell Tualatin council supportive‑housing program housed thousands but faces multi‑million shortfall

Washington County staff told the Tualatin City Council on Dec. 9, 2024, that the county’s Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program has materially expanded shelter and housing capacity and served thousands of residents, but faces a worsening revenue outlook that could lead to program reductions.

Nicole Singh, strategic initiatives and relations manager for Washington County’s Homeless Services Division, and Jesse Adams, strategic project supervisor, presented year‑three results for the county’s SHS program and described both accomplishments and emerging budget pressures. Singh said the county “spent 100% of our SHS budget” during the ramp‑up and reported the program has served more than 10,000 people at various points in the system.

Jesse Adams described capacity gains: the county now has 433 year‑round adult shelter beds (she said 420 of those are funded entirely by SHS), pod shelter units, and Safe Rest Villages in Cornelius and Aloha. Adams said the Beaverton year‑round shelter recently opened and that Just Compassion’s access center (closest to Tualatin) plans to expand from 20 to 60 beds and open a new access center in March. She said the county is adding transitional and permanent shelter capacity and intends that some sites be co‑located with health and behavioral‑health services.

Singh and Adams also described measurable outcomes in rental assistance and housing placement. Adams said the county was “on pace to meet our goal” of roughly 1,650 supportive housing placements in the multi‑year plan and that eviction prevention programming has exceeded its targets, in particular serving higher shares of Latine and Black households than many prior programs.

At the same time, Singh told council the county recently received a revised revenue forecast that projects a roughly $16,000,000 shortfall compared with prior expectations, requiring the county to scale back parts of planned programming. Singh said county leaders had already paused launching new programs and halted some temporary motel‑based shelter spending and that eviction‑prevention allocations funded from SHS would be reduced. She warned that conditional awards the county made for new access centers and transitional housing could be jeopardized if further reductions occur.

Singh and Adams said the county is pursuing additional recovery of health‑care funding streams — for example, Medicaid billing and partnerships with coordinated care organizations — to offset SHS funding limits, but acknowledged billing Medicaid is complex and not an immediate offset. They also flagged a separate regional proposal by Metro to create a new funding and governance structure for homelessness services; Singh said preliminary internal analysis shows the Metro proposal could lead to significant reductions for the county compared with prior forecasts.

Councilors asked clarifying questions about where local residents should seek services, how outreach teams operate, and whether county services coordinate with neighboring Clackamas County programs. Presenters said Community Connect is the coordinated‑entry point for sheltered services and that outreach teams work in neighborhoods and at community sites (libraries, service locations) and can transport people to access centers. Staff noted some services are specific to the county of residence (Clackamas County administers its own coordinated entry), but emphasized a “no wrong door” approach and cross‑county coordination.

Ending

Washington County staff framed SHS as a substantial system expansion that has demonstrably housed thousands but cautioned the council that revenue pressures and pending regional proposals could force program reductions. County staff and councilors agreed to continue coordination and to bring updated information to cities as fiscal changes evolve.