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Washington County presents Year 6 homelessness work plan, outlines shelter expansions and data upgrades
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Summary
County staff previewed Year 6 goals for the 10-year homelessness measure, including sustaining 2,000 households on medium/long-term assistance, 375 new placements, a 85% retention target, a 504-unit shelter at Cornell Road Recovery and stepped-up HMIS modernization to enable cross-county data sharing.
County staff presented a detailed Year 6 work plan for the 10-year homelessness measure and described near-term shelter and data investments intended to sustain progress while shifting toward system stability.
Jess Larson, a county staff member, opened the update by introducing a new hire and outlining priorities, saying, "My biggest and most exciting update is that Gabby Duarte is here on our team now joining us, in the community relations team." She framed the work plan as part of continuing efforts on equity, community engagement and program sustainability.
A staff presenter identified as Katie reviewed quantitative Year 6 goals. The plan calls for maintaining housing supports for roughly 2,000 households who were already served in prior years, graduating about 100 households from wraparound case management to rent-assistance-only supports, and creating approximately 375 new placements across rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing programs. Katie said the system seeks to sustain an 85% housing-retention rate for program participants.
Staff also described capacity and site changes. The county reported that Cornell Road Recovery will expand shelter capacity and transitional housing, increasing shelter capacity to 504 units, and that the Hillsboro access center will open this fiscal year. Construction on an Opendoor project in Cornelius was noted with a target opening in 2027, and a Beaverton access-center funding opportunity was announced.
On data and performance monitoring, members discussed short-term and long-term steps to improve cross-county visibility. Katie said the county is pursuing an HMIS modernization effort to move from WellSky to a new platform (Clarity) that promises broader cross-jurisdictional viewing and a regional dashboard. Rachel and other participants emphasized that better shared indicators'0such as eviction filings and rent costs'0should inform goal‑setting and decision-making.
Staff said HUD reports required technical review and that all four HUD reports will be sent to the council together for action at the May meeting to respect federal deadlines. The presentation closed with an invitation for members to provide written feedback on the draft work plan ahead of the board review.
The council did not take a formal vote on the work plan presentation; staff will return with the HUD reports and a data deep-dive at the next meeting.
