Washington County Department of Housing Services Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Annual Report
The Department of Housing Services releases an annual report to share key milestones and work completed over the fiscal year. Highlights include personal stories of strength from program participants throughout the report! In total, the Department of Housing Services served over 20,700 people (which is the equivalent of the entire population of Sherwood!) last fiscal year (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025). We are proud to share of those 20,700+ people:
- 7,700+ people were served with short-term housing assistance,
- 10,600+ people were supported in long-term rental assistance programs,
- and 3,100+ people were supported with a steppingstone to housing through shelter or outreach.
We also continue to provide and build the needed infrastructure to serve our community with 1,100+ affordable homes owned and maintained to serve generations to come and 26 capital projects that were awarded financing, under development, or opened in the last fiscal year (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025).
Reports
- Department-wide Annual Report
The Department of Housing Services releases an annual report to share key milestones and work completed over the year.
- Supportive Housing Services Annual and Quarterly Reports
To track implementation progress for the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure, the Homeless Services Division publishes quarterly and annual reports that describe program updates, outcomes, and financial expenditures.
Year 4 (FY 2024-25)
- Supportive Housing Services Capital Projects Report
Washington County released a progress report on all capital projects completed, underway, or planned for with SHS investments. Fourteen developments representing over 400 shelter beds, over 100 units of transitional housing, four geographically disbursed access centers, and other misc. investments are providing the infrastructure needed to create pathways out of homelessness for families, veterans, and individuals in need.
- Point In Time (PIT) Homeless Count
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has required continuums across our nation to report the number of people who are homeless at a particular time of the year (in the last week of January). The annual homeless count facilitates the need for continuums to collect demographic data and report on the number of people experiencing homelessness. The data is used for housing and service planning, demonstrating need, raising public awareness, and accurately identifying the needs population, e.g. chronically homeless and veterans.
- Continuum of Care System Performance Metrics
System Performance Metrics (SPM) are reported annually to HUD to measure and track performance of our Homeless Services System across seven metrics. SPM’s include the average ‘length of homelessness’ and ‘returns to homeless’ for people served in our system. SPMs also track the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time, and likelihood that people served through our shelter and outreach programs will be successfully placed in permanent housing. Our system’s performance in these areas contribute to the annual application score for ongoing and new funding from HUD for Washington County to operate the CoC program.
- HUD Longitudinal System Analysis (LSA)
The LSA is an annual HUD required report that allows us to view our homeless response system as whole, measures the impact of coordinated efforts, and informs the Annual Homeless Assessment Report which is used by Congress to determine the scale and demographics of homelessness across the nation.
Plans
- Public Review of the Administrative Plan and Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plans effective January 1, 2026
The Housing Authority of Washington County (HAWC) is sharing its proposed Administrative Plan and Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan (ACOP) effective January 1, 2026 for public review and comment. These documents govern the administration of the Housing Choice Voucher program and the Public Housing program. They have been updated to incorporate changes in HUD regulations and federal law.
The 45-day public comment period will run October 16, 2025 through December 1, 2025. The Housing Authority Board of Directors will review the Proposed Administrative Plan and ACOP on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. More information about that meeting can be found on CivicWeb
The proposed Administrative Plan and ACOP are posted below. Written comments on the proposed Administrative Plan and Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan can be directed to Em Nichols, MTW Program Coordinator at 161 NW Adams Ave, Suite 2000, MS 63, Hillsboro, OR 97124, or by emailing: [email protected]
- Annual Work Plan FY 2025-26
The Department of Housing Services creates pathways out of homelessness, promotes housing stability, and invests in affordable communities. This year, we are setting important goals to advance our mission and make meaningful progress towards operational excellence.
- Public Housing Agency (PHA) Plan
The PHA Plan is a comprehensive guide to public housing agency (PHA) policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. There are two parts to the PHA Plan: the 5-Year Plan, which each PHA submits to HUD once every 5th PHA fiscal year, and the Annual Plan, which is submitted to HUD every year.
The 2025 PHA Plan was approved by HUD on May 13, 2025
- MTW Plan
Moving to Work (MTW) is a HUD program that gives housing authorities flexibility around certain federal rules and regulations and allows the agency to implement local solutions. The Housing Authority of Washington County (HAWC) was selected for MTW status in May 2021.
The MTW program provides the Housing Authority of Washington County with a unique opportunity to design and test innovative, locally designed housing and self-sufficiency strategies for serving low-income families. MTW agencies have greater flexibility to administer their public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs with policies that can address local needs and that allow the housing authority to utilize restricted funds in creative ways.
More information can also be found on HUD’s website at www.hud.gov/mtw.
- Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan
In addition to HUD regulations, the Section 8 Programs (including, but not limited to, the Housing Choice Voucher, Project Based Voucher, Shelter Plus Care, Family Self-Sufficiency and Section 8 Voucher Home Ownership programs) are administered in accordance with the Department's current Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan. The Administrative Plan effective July 1, 2025 is included below.
- Fair Housing, Non-Discrimination, and Reasonable Accommodation Policies: The Department of Housing Services Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity policy, which includes the Non-Discrimination Policy and Reasonable Accommodation Policy, can be found in Chapter 2 of the Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan linked above
- Public Housing Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan (ACOP)
In addition to HUD regulations, the Public Housing program is administered in accordance with the Department's current Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan (ACOP). The ACOP effective July 1, 2025 is included below.
- Pet Policy: The Pet Policy for the Public Housing program may be found in Chapter 10 of the Public Housing Admissions and Continued Occupancy Plan (ACOP) - see pages 313-327 in ACOP.
- Fair Housing, Non-Discrimination, and Reasonable Accommodation Policies: The Department of Housing Services Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity policy, which includes the Non-Discrimination Policy and Reasonable Accommodation Policy, can be found in the ACOP on pages 20-30.
- Supportive Housing Services Local Implementation Plan (LIP)
The Washington County Local Implementation Plan (LIP) guides the implementation of our Supportive Housing Services program. The LIP was created with broad community feedback over many months to inform data analysis of current programs, racial disparities, and unmet needs, as well as shared values and commitments of the program. The Washington County Plan was approved unanimously by the Board of County Commissioners, Metro Oversight Committee, and the Metro Council. Our Local Implementation Plan commits to several program goals that guide program investments and evaluations to ensure the community need is met.
- Supportive Housing Services Work Plan
To set goals for the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure, the Homeless Services Division publishes an annual work plan to guide our efforts over the course of the year.
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Plan
This LEP Plan was developed to ensure equal access to services for persons with limited English proficiency and hearing impaired persons.
Policies
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
On January 5, 2005, President Bush signed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law. Among other things, VAWA amended Federal Housing programs. Although the law is called the "Violence Against Women Act", it covers all victims of these crimes, whether they are male or female.
- Immigration Status Policy
Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing rental assistance programs require applicants and participants to comply with certain immigration regulations.