Oregon ‘continuum of care’ organizations receive $46 million from feds to help homeless

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Wednesday more than $46 million in FY2021 Continuum of Care Competition awards headed to seven Oregon counties and multiple organizations to help people experiencing homelessness.

These awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are part of approximately 7,000 renewed and new grants that will promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness.

“Oregonians in every corner of our state are struggling under the crushing weight of our affordable housing crisis, and like so many other problems, America’s housing emergency has only been magnified by the pandemic,” said Merkley. “I’m grateful these Oregon counties and communities are receiving this important funding to ensure access to affordable and safe housing is available to every member of our communities throughout this pandemic and beyond.”

“Housing is a human right, and it’s essential that federal funds fulfill that commitment for Oregonians needing a roof over their heads and a floor under their feet,” said Wyden. “Today’s announcement takes a solid step toward battling the affordable housing crisis throughout our state, and I’ll keep working to secure similar investments that help reduce homelessness in Oregon’s communities.”

The CoC program is designed to promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. The 2021 awards include approximately $102 million for new domestic violence support projects. The awards also fund new projects that focus on adding permanent housing to communities, including new permanent supportive housing, new rapid rehousing, and projects that provide transitional housing to households and then shift them to rapid rehousing.

A breakdown of counties and organizations receiving these awards can be found below. Please note each county and or organization may be funding multiple projects with these awards:

Eugene/Springfield/Lane County CoC – $4,135,613

Portland/Gresham/Multnomah County CoC – $28,599,693

Medford/Ashland/Jackson County CoC – $268,247

Central Oregon CoC – $786,031

Salem/Marion, Polk Counties CoC – $1,269,871

Oregon Balance of State CoC – $2,791,050

Hillsboro/Beaverton/Washington County CoC – $4,055,487

Clackamas County CoC – $4,111,571