Benton County has been selected as one of four organizations statewide to participate in Housing 360, a new pilot program launched by Gov. Tina Kotek this spring aimed at addressing homelessness among individuals struggling with mental illness.
The county’s Coordinated Homeless Response Office has been awarded $900,000 to implement the program locally, focusing on matching available housing with those in need while providing comprehensive support services.
“We are building capacity among our housing and supportive services partners for people experiencing homelessness, with the goal of creating a system that is ‘ready to house,'” said Rebecca Taylor, program manager for Benton County’s CHRO. “Our strategy includes housing-focused outreach and case management that meets people where they are and follows them throughout their entire journey towards long-term housing stability.”
Other Housing 360 recipients include Washington County, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council in Wasco County, and Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action in Marion County.
The initiative is administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services, which provides technical assistance and establishes outcome-based metrics within a collaborative learning environment.
The Housing 360 program builds upon Benton County’s existing efforts to combat homelessness. In 2024, the CHRO launched the Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool Program with $1.2 million from Oregon House Bill 5019, aiming to achieve long-term housing stability for 31 households by June 30 of this year.
Additional funding of $975,000 through Senate Bill 5701 expanded the goal to 51 households. The county reports significant progress, with 47 households — comprising 58 adults and 46 children — already transitioned from homelessness into stable housing with wraparound support services.
“We are excited about the successes we’ve seen in this community as a result of investments from state and local partners, but we know we still have a long way to go,” Taylor noted.
The Housing 360 initiative stems from SB 5701, signed by Kotek in 2024, which allocated $39 million to OHCS for a statewide rehousing program focused on rapidly transitioning people from homelessness to permanent housing solutions.
Benton County plans to use its existing FHSP as a centralized hub to administer the Housing 360 funding. Officials estimate the program will initially serve at least 15 households by coordinating pretreatment services, secure housing and behavioral health supports, with hopes to expand services to more community members as the program develops.
“The additional funding and goals set up through Housing 360 will help sustain the capacity we’ve built through the FHSP and allow us to focus our efforts on connecting some of our most vulnerable community members to housing and critical supports,” Taylor said. “We continue to seek additional funding to carry this work forward.”