Washington County housing forum highlights 'inflection point' in homeless crisis

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Local, state and federal officials gathered for an annual forum in Washington County on Friday aimed at tackling housing and homelessness issues.

Among the attendees was U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), who represents most of the county. She said she's working on several bills in Congress to try and address homelessness.

Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington said while the county is making good progress in the homeless crisis, there's still a risk of falling back in some areas, calling it "an inflection point."

The county chair said Washington County has cut homelessness by one-third in three years. However, a lot of the progress was made through one-time funding, like pandemic-era aid. Harrington said Supportive Housing Services is the only continuing funding source the county has to combat the homeless crisis long-term.

"As we engage in conversations about a potential SHS reform measure, I urge those of you with influence — including our Metro colleagues — to talk to experts about what reductions would mean to our shared goals," Harrington said.

The annual Washington County Department of Housing Services forum was held at the Wingspan Event and Conference Center in Hillsboro. In addition to Count Chair Harrington and U.S. Rep. Bonamici, other guests included Oregon State Senatore Kate Lieber (D), and a number of other representatives from organizations and non-profits in the housing, mental health and homelessness fields, including CareOregon, Central City Concern, and Bridge Housing.