Supportive Housing Services
Overview
Program Overview
On May 19, 2020, Measure 26-210 passed with 58% of voters and established the regional Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program. The SHS program will be funded with a new income tax on high-earning households and a business profits tax, together estimated to generate more than $200 million annually for ten years.
The funds will be distributed by Metro to the three counties within the Metro boundary proportionately by estimated revenue collection as follows: Washington County (33.3%), Multnomah County (45.3%) and Clackamas County (21.3%).
The three counties will each develop and enhance local homeless and housing systems of care while working together to address homelessness across the region. The SHS program will be the largest per capita investment in the nation dedicated to ending homelessness with supportive housing services.
Program Principles
Washington County’s SHS program will be guided by these regionally established program values:
- Strive toward stable housing for all;
- Lead with racial equity and work toward racial justice;
- Fund proven solutions;
- Leverage existing capacity and resources;
- Evolve systems to improve;
- Demonstrate outcomes and impact with stable housing solutions;
- Ensure transparent oversight and accountability;
- Center people with lived experience; and
- Embrace regionalism and local expertise.
Supportive Housing and Priority Populations
The program aims to fully meet the needs of people experiencing chronic homelessness and significantly impact the rate of episodic homelessness with investments in supportive housing, long-term rent assistance, outreach and housing navigation services, emergency shelters, behavioral health and recovery supports, culturally specific services, and more.
Supportive Housing is a demonstrated approach to ending homelessness with wrap arounds supports tailored to meeting the needs of people who experience prolonged homelessness with complex disabilities. These supportive housing programs ensure housing stability with long-term rent subsidies paired with case management and services including employment and educational supports, peer supports, recovery programs and behavioral healthcare, on-site and community-based programs.
The SHS program will focus on two priority populations and ensure that a every facet of the program aims to mitigate racial disparities inherent in our communities and programs, by leading with race in engagement, program design and outcome evaluation.
- Priority Population A: Program funds will serve people who experience prolonged and repeated homelessness while living with complex disabling conditions with housing and support services that ‘wrap around’ each individual to provide stability and health.
- Priority Population B: The program will also work up-stream to prevent and resolve episodic homelessness with programs to serve anyone at risk for economic reasons.
Regional Oversight Committee and Metro
The regional government is responsible for tax collection and convening the regional oversight committee and other accountability structures. Please go to the Metro SHS program website for more information about the regional program, tax collection, the regional oversight committee or Metro’s role.
For more information about Washington County’s SHS program implementation, please contact the team at: SHSinfo@co.washington.or.us
