Housing Services Annual Reports Released

Posted November 10, 2026

Washington County Annual Reports Highlight the People Behind the Data

Behind every number in Washington County's newly released housing annual reports is a person seeking safety, stability and a place to call home. During the last fiscal year, the Department of Housing Services served more than 18,500 people; the majority of whom were children, people with disabilities and older adults. Highlights from annual reports and interviews from the people we serve and critical partners are shared for the first time in the Department of Housing Services annual report video.

The data reflects thousands of personal journeys, including:

• Kelle survived a devastating house fire and slept in a tent for months, before becoming one of 2,800+ people to connect with shelter and outreach services and moving home.
• Kevin went from navigating the corporate grind to sleeping outside and staying in shelter, before becoming one of 11,100+ people supported with long-term rental assistance.
• Melanie created a food bank for fellow residents in her affordable housing community navigating food insecurity, representing one person who lives in the 1,000+ affordable homes owned and operated by the Housing Authority of Washington County.
• Ahmed, who immigrated to Oregon twenty years ago, rebuilt stability for his family and became one of 16 first-time homeowners through the affordable homeownership program.

Together, these stories illustrate what the numbers alone cannot: progress happens household by household, through persistence, trusted relationships and coordinated community support.

"At a time of extraordinary federal uncertainty, we are building lasting stability for thousands of people," said Molly Rogers, director of Washington County Department of Housing Services. "These results show what sustained investments can accomplish for the 18,500 Washington County residents who were served this past year, and what is at stake if our community loses the housing and homeless services people depend on."

Supportive Housing Services report details homeless services investments

Released alongside the departmentwide Housing report, the Supportive Housing Services Annual Report provides a more technical accounting of Washington County's use of Metro Supportive Housing Services, or SHS, funding. SHS represents roughly 80% of the department's homeless services budget and supports outreach, shelter, eviction prevention, short and long-term rent assistance, and case management. Washington County began receiving SHS funding in 2021 and the voter-approved measure is currently scheduled to sunset in 2031.

In the fifth year of the measure, Washington County reported exceeding housing goals:

• Supporting over 4,600 formerly homeless community members with rent assistance and case management,
• Preventing homelessness for over 1,100 people, and
• Sustaining 400+ shelter beds (395 funded by SHS), with a goal to expand shelter and transitional housing capacity to 500 beds by June 2027.

These investments have helped transform a once-limited homeless services network into a countywide system that includes street outreach, year-round shelter, housing navigation, behavioral health connections, eviction prevention and long-term housing. The work has also expanded partnerships with culturally specific organizations and coordinated service providers around shared goals and consistent pathways from crisis to housing. Supportive Housing Services investments are made possible thanks to Metro leadership.

"Homelessness does not stop at county lines, which is why this measure was designed as a truly regional investment," Metro Council President Juan Carlos González said. "In 2020, voters across Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties chose a unified path to confront this crisis together. The stability and housing retention numbers that we have achieved in year five of the Supportive Housing Services measure show the power of that shared commitment."

Unmet Need

This work comes as housing pressures continue to grow. Half of Washington County renters are cost-burdened and median rent has reached $1,898 per month. Rising rents, evictions and economic hardship mean that three new households enter homelessness for every household placed in stable housing. Sustaining effective housing programs, maintaining shelter and housing capacity, and coordinating with behavioral health providers, first responders, and local and regional jurisdictional partners remains critical to serve our most vulnerable community members.

Learn More

Review the Department of Housing Services Annual Report and the Supportive Housing Services reporting on progress from July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026.

To hear directly from community members served in Washington County, including formerly homeless participants, members of the media may contact Emily Roots to arrange interviews (see contact information below).

To learn more about partnering county Supportive Housing Services results:

• Clackamas County
• Multnomah County

About Washington County Department of Housing Services:

The department creates pathways out of homelessness, promotes housing stability, and invests in affordable communities for Washington County and our residents. The Department is a unique organization focused on the full continuum of housing stability: from street outreach and shelter access to long-term rent assistance and affordable housing. We support a comprehensive system of care that meets the needs of people experiencing homelessness and connects them with immediate shelter and housing services.

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