Coordinated Houseless Response Office

Background

Deschutes County and the Cities of Bend, La Pine, Sisters and Redmond are recipients of House Bill 4123, which provides $1 million in funding to coordinate efforts for the purpose of strengthening Central Oregon’s houseless response system.

Strategy

Our office applies an 'all strategies' approach to creating a high-performance system that responds differently, urgently, and at scale. We especially seek opportunities to implement long-term solutions that are evidence-based and trauma-informed. These proven solutions inform the focus of our major strategic initiatives and investments.

Our office is currently focused on a number of major strategic initiatives, including:

• Helping to drive regional efforts around quality data collection, analysis, and reporting, in conjunction with our regional partners Homeless Leadership Coalition (HLC) and NeighborImpact, and national partners at Built for Zero (BfZ).
• Supporting shelter system capacity, including congregate (mass) shelter beds and non-congregate motel rooms, and necessary staff.
• Investing in service provider capacity, including offering technical assistance and strategies to promote workforce expansion.
• Stimulating development of supportive housing units to meet the need for affordable housing at the lowest income levels.
• Coordinating with public land management agencies to assess current encampments and provide technical assistance for reducing harm and identifying effective solutions.

Community Resources

• CoC OR-503: Homeless Leadership Coalition (HLC) - www.cohomeless.org
• State of Oregon Homelessness - www.oregon.gov/ohcs/homelessness/Pages/index.aspx
• League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Homeless Solutions - www.orcities.org/resources/reference/homeless-solutions
• Community Solutions: Built For Zero - www.community.solutions/built-for-zero/the-movement/
• Housing and Shelter Resource Listings at 211info.org - www.211info.org/get-help/housing-shelter/
• Deschutes County Behavioral Health Department - www.deschutes.org/health/page/behavioral-health
• Houseless in Deschutes - www.houselessindeschutes.org
• United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) - www.usich.gov/all-in
• Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council’s EO 23-02 - www.coic.org/EO2302/
• Oregon Housing & Community Services EO23-02 FAQ - https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/Pages/housing-eo.aspx
• HousingWorks - https://housing-works.org/
• HUD Annual Report – 2022 - https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
• PIT Count - https://cohomeless.org/agency-tools/point-in-time-count/
• Bend Bulletin – Homelessness - https://www.bendbulletin.com/homeless/
• Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council – Regional Housing Needs Assessment - www.coic.org/needs-assessment/

Stay Connected

Have questions or feedback? Please email HouselessOffice@deschutes.org.

View recordings and information from past meetings here.

View upcoming CHRO meetings here.