Welcome to Washington County’s Office of Community Development newsletter! | |
What is your favorite part of this time of the year? The vibrant fall colors, pumpkin spice everything, apple cider, or maybe football season? While we didn’t ask these questions in our recent community engagement efforts, I hope you find time to enjoy what makes this season special for you.
Community engagement is an essential component for the successful implementation of our programs. As we have continued to develop our 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan, we have prioritized meeting people where they are at – whether that be at local events, community meetings, libraries, or their local community centers across the County. We also launched an online survey, available in 12 languages, that was easily accessible by a computer ,smartphone, or paper upon request. We’re excited to give you a “sneak peek” at the survey results in this newsletter. Keep reading to explore the top housing, facilities, infrastructure, and services needs identified by residents and stakeholders across Washington County.
There’s always more work to do; community engagement gives us direction on where to focus our efforts. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to complete the survey or provide feedback in one of the meetings our team presented at. As we continue to develop this plan that directs our work over the next five years, we look forward to sharing more information and analysis with you.
Best Regards,
Shannon Wilson, Program Manager
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Highlights from the Community Survey | |
As part of the community engagement process for the upcoming 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan, a survey was made available to residents and stakeholders from March 6, 2024 to June 12, 2024 in 12 languages including English. A total of 2,269 Washington County community members participated in the survey, here is what the results told us: | |
More than three in five (66%) survey respondents in Washington County own their home compared to 27% who rent and 5% who live in temporary housing situations (for example, staying with family or friends, shelters, motel/hotel, living out of a car, experiencing homelessness).
When asked which qualities of their neighborhood were most important, Washington County residents identified: the safety of their neighborhood (80%), affordability of housing (50%), peace and quiet (49%), proximity to parks or open space (40%), and access to quality public schools (34%).
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The top housing needs identified by County residents overall were the construction of affordable rental housing (56%), affordable rental housing for older adults (55%), permanent supportive housing (47%), and rental assistance (42%). Rehabilitation of affordable apartment complexes, providing homeownership assistance, and making energy efficiency improvements in affordable apartments were also identified as housing needs by respondents in the county.
Survey participants also provided comments on housing projects and services that would better meet their needs and/or the needs of low income households in Washington County. Notable comments include:
- “More centralized rental listings—not just listings managed by private companies with disparate screening criteria.”
- “Affordable assisted living. There are seniors who cannot be on their own and cannot afford to live in assisted living facilities.”
- “When I became homeless, I had my animals with me and my kids in the car but we were heartbroken when there was no place for them to go. There are a lot of people who opt to stay on the street with their animals rather than surrender them. We should look for ways to help people keep their family pets like temporary shelters, allowing pets in transitional housing, building/allocating housing for pet owners to live? It’s a huge issue in the homeless community.”
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Survey respondents in Washington County ranked public facility needs from the “highest” facility needs to the “lowest” facility needs. Almost half (49%) ranked mental health centers as the most needed public facility in the county, followed by homeless shelters (43%), childcare centers (38%), schools (37%), and a youth center (36%).
Notable comments provided by respondents include:
- “Recreation centers that also provide support services and resources.”
- “Community spaces with culturally specific supports for LGBTQ+ people.”
- “Shelters, beds, and services for minors and adult youth.”
- “A multi-service center under one roof for housing, job placement, and mental/physical health care. This should be [located] in a place easily accessed by public transportation.”
- “A single building that primarily serves low income families/individuals. It should be open 8am-8pm and staffed by enthusiastic, knowledgeable volunteers as well as local leaders/hourly employees that have experience in the public service industry or from personal experience in the system…it should be accessible to everyone so they can connect to community members and resources.”
Over half (56%) of overall respondents feel that there are areas in Washington County that do not have the same number or quality of public facilities or protections as the rest of the county—compared to 44% who feel that the number and quality of public facilities are distributed equally. Other related findings include:
- Black or African residents (69%) and Hispanic or Latino residents (66%) are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to feel that there are areas in the county that do not have the same number or quality of facilities/infrastructures as the rest of the county. (This compares to 57% of non-Hispanic White residents). These findings are particularly important as they suggest that communities of color experience a lack of investment in community assets.
- Lower income households lack access to the same number or quality of public facilities/infrastructures as higher income households. Over half (57%) of those with low incomes and 60% with moderate incomes feel that there are unequal facilities/infrastructures in areas of Washington County—compared to only 45% of residents with incomes above $100,000.
- Young adults (under 35) are significantly more likely to feel that certain areas in Washington County do not have the same facilities or infrastructures as other areas. Compared to around half of residents within other age cohorts, 68% of young adults reported that areas in the county lack the same number or quality of facilities and infrastructures.
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Thirty-five percent (35%) of residents living in Washington County ranked road improvements as a “high” infrastructure need in the county followed by sidewalks (34%), broadband infrastructure (29%), and street lighting (27%). | |
Top Public Services Needs | |
Over half (52%) ranked the highest public service need in the county as mental health services followed by substance abuse services (45%), rental housing subsidies (43%), fair housing activities (40%), and childcare services (39%).
Respondent comments include:
- “Support groups for domestic violence survivors and trauma classes in shelters.”
- “Assistance in locating needed services and assistance to navigate service options especially for seniors, undereducated folks, and/or those of ethnic cultures.”
- “More information on the services that are available and how to apply for them. We also need more resources for low income seniors who are at risk of losing their housing.”
- “Report consistent and timely monthly rent payments to credit bureaus to build credit profile/improve score. This would really help renters when they want to purchase a home.”
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Further results and analysis will be available in the Community Engagement Appendix to the Consolidated Plan. | |
Join Us for an Open House! | |
Mark your calendars for our upcoming open house events where we'll share more about the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and get community feedback on the drafted goals and priorities. Throughout September and October, we will also be bringing draft goals and priorities for the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan to a number of advisory bodies.
October 16, 5-7pm, Tigard Public Library, 13500 SW Hall Blvd, Tigard
October 17, 5-7pm, Centro Cultural de Washington County, 1110 N Adair St, Cornelius
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Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant Workshops | |
Washington County's Office of Community Development (OCD) will be conducting its Application Workshops for the 2025 funding year (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026). During these workshops, staff will review new policies, give a program overview, and go over application requirements for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public Services, Public Facilities, and Infrastructure projects as well as the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program.
Attendance at the workshops is MANDATORY for all program applicants.
Monday, November 18, 2024
CDBG Public Services at 10:00 am
CDBG Public Facilities & Infrastructure at 1:00 pm
* Held at the Washington Street Conference Center
Please RSVP by emailing Pablo Garnica at Pablo_Garnica@washingtoncountyor.gov
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
ESG Program at 9 am
*Held via Teams
Please RSVP by emailing Lauren Calo at Lauren_Calo@washingtoncountyor.gov
Please note that the HOME funding application cycle will be delayed until Fall 2025.
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Join the Housing Authority of Washington County's
Housing Advisory Committee
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The mission of the Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) is to advise the Housing Authority Board of Directors on policy matters, identify housing issues, and recommend programs and services for the low- and moderate-income residents of Washington County.
The Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) is currently recruiting for 2 positions:
- one member involved in the Finance profession
- one member involved in representing veterans
The Housing Advisory Committee
- is a group of 15 community members who live and/or work in Washington County
- meets with Housing Authority staff monthly, to learn about housing issues in our community
- come from a wide variety of backgrounds, each contributing to the committee with their own area of experience and expertise
The Housing Authority of Washington County provides affordable housing support to more than 3,000 households. The agency also has taken a lead in the County’s response to homelessness, with expansive work to provide both permanent and emergency shelter resources. In recent years the Housing Authority has facilitated development of thousands of additional units of affordable housing, through partnerships with the public and private sector.
As a committee member you will attend regular meetings to learn about how Housing Authority programs and services are working throughout the County, to advise on different topics related to low-income housing.
If you are interested in learning more click here. To access the other application click here.
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2025-2029 Consolidated Plan Timeline | | | | |