September 15, 2022
Media Contacts:
Delia Hernández, OHCS, HCS.mediarequests@hcs.oregon.gov
Jesse Dean, CSH, jesse.dean@csh.org
SALEM, OR - Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) announced nine innovative projects that emerged from the third Oregon Supportive Housing Institute (SHI). The SHI is designed to increase the pipeline and supply of quality affordable housing paired with comprehensive support services.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, provided a message to the project teams, stating “I am so grateful for your work to create more permanent supportive housing in our Oregon communities. Your work is critical in helping our neighbors who are experiencing chronic homelessness to return to safe, stable, and affordable housing.”
The nine project teams from across the state met over five-months for intensive training and technical assistance to develop permanent supportive housing (PSH) projects. Permanent supportive housing is a national model that effectively serves individuals and families experiencing long-term homelessness. By providing on-site, individualized services, PSH leads to cost savings in public systems, particularly within healthcare and justice systems, and long-term housing stability for vulnerable households.
“I believe that in this space today, it represents our shared values of community building, commitment to our beloved communities and the reality that us here today is a signal that we do not accept homelessness as a fact of life,” said OHCS Director Andrea Bell.
The 2022 Oregon SHI projects focus on developing high quality homes for chronically homeless households. Some projects are specifically designed for homeless youth transitioning out of foster care or state custody, veterans, and/or individuals who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Also, there are several projects serving rural communities throughout the state.
As Rae Trotta, CSH Senior Program Manager said, “Our Supportive Housing Institutes are training engagements to support quality planning for supportive housing projects, but what we’re really doing over these five months is community building.”
After the launch of the SHI in 2019, PSH expertise and developer capacity greatly expanded and has led to a significant increase in PSH across Oregon. Twenty-seven teams have graduated from the SHI since 2019, resulting in 525 new PSH units approved for funding by the Oregon Housing Stability Council.
“I want to extend my congratulations to all the project teams and thank you for allowing us to learn along with you and to support your efforts to advance supportive housing opportunities,” said CSH President and CEO, Deborah De Santis.
About Oregon Supportive Housing Institute
The Oregon Supportive Housing Institute (SHI) is a signature initiative of Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) in collaboration with and support from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). Since its start in the state, 27 teams have participated in the Oregon SHI that has resulted in 525 new permanent supportive housing units. The Oregon SHI has had diverse statewide representation from every region in Oregon, including projects from Central Oregon (2 – Bend and Warm Springs), Coastal Regions (4 –Astoria (2), Coos Bay/North Bend, Toledo), Corvallis, Eastern Oregon (2 – Ontario and Lakeview), Eugene (2), Portland (7), greater Portland Metro (4 – Gladstone, Happy Valley, Newberg, Tualatin/Tigard), Salem (2), Southern Oregon (2 - Medford/Grants Pass, Roseburg).
About Oregon Housing and Community Services
Oregon Housing and Community Services provides resources for Oregonians to reduce poverty and increase access to stable housing. Our intentional focus on housing and community services allows the agency to serve Oregonians across the housing continuum, including preventing homelessness, providing housing stability supports, financing the building and preservation of affordable housing and encouraging homeownership.
About Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH)
The Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) is the national champion for supportive housing, demonstrating its potential to improve the lives of very vulnerable individuals and families by helping communities create more than 385,000 real homes for people who desperately need them. CSH engages broader systems to fully invest in solutions that drive equity, help people thrive, and harness data to generate concrete and sustainable results. Visit us at www.csh.org
