Jess Larson, assistant director of the Washington County Department of Housing Services, and Liz Morris, the department's rental assistance division manager, briefed the Tualatin City Council on the department's FY24–25 annual report on Dec. 8.

Larson said the department provided services to roughly 20,000 people and supported development or financing for more than two dozen capital projects. She highlighted that the department now operates year‑round shelter capacity — roughly 400 beds — and that around 3,100 people passed through shelter programs during the year. Larson described newly opened access centers and regional shelters, and said two transitional housing projects are advancing: one in the city of Hillsborough expected to offer about 45 beds and another in unincorporated Washington County (a converted hotel on Cornell Road near Highway 26) that will provide roughly 75–80 beds for people moving through recovery programs.

Morris said Washington County administers about $89,000,000 annually in rental subsidy and that the county supports roughly 5,300 households on long‑term rental assistance. She added that more than 800 households received short‑term rental assistance and about 2,000 households received eviction‑prevention funds last year. The department also reported preserving nearly 600 affordable homes across multiple properties and reinvesting about $113,000,000 in preservation work.

Councilors pressed staff on the department's exposure to federal funding changes and program details. Larson and Morris said federal programs, notably housing choice vouchers and public housing funding, account for a substantial portion of the roughly $225,000,000 program portfolio and estimated federal contributions at about $80 million (staff characterized the federal portion as "just shy of $80,000,000"). They told councilors the department is balancing program reductions — including the early sunsetting of some emergency vouchers — while using local funds and one‑time Metro investments to restore eviction‑prevention resources.

Larson and Morris said Metro has allocated $10,000,000 to Washington County to help restore eviction‑prevention resources for the next two years. Morris described county programs that help households bridge benefit cliffs and said a "moving to work" flexibility will let some voucher holders remain on assistance for an extended transition period to avoid sudden loss of benefits.

Larson and Morris also described system improvements: nine outreach teams, new access centers, an expanded network of community providers, and a health‑care case‑conferencing practice that coordinates health and shelter providers. They cautioned that demand continues to outpace capacity and urged continued coordination among the county, cities and regional partners.

The council's next steps were procedural: no action was taken; staff said they would continue implementing projects and return with follow‑up as needed.

Ending: Councilors thanked department staff for the report and asked staff to share links to the department's local implementation plan and any open surveys for public feedback.