On heels of our learning from City Councilor Jan Napack that at last count, just over a third of our area’s unhoused are now, at least sheltered. Of late, we also hear Mayor Maughan regularly remind that because the shelters have built more capacity, there’s now vacant beds too.
Maughan, beyond being mayor, regularly volunteers at a shelter in our area.
All of this is encouraging, but more than sheltering – three new and very different local projects have come to fruition of late. One program collaborates with local property owners and managers to directly house the houseless, and another is an employer assisted housing project from the Boys & Girls Club that now has the School District looking at what it can do for its workforce.
And, on Wednesday Oct. 30 comes a long awaited Grand Opening ceremony for a new restricted-income apartment complex with rents as low as $561 for a one-bedroom apartment, $671 for a two-bedroom and $767 for a three-bedroom. On a sliding scale, the max one can pay for those units are $1,205, $1,431, and $2,050 respectively. Move-ins start in November.
RIVERGREEN LANDING APARTMENTS, INCOME-RESTRICTED, DISCOUNTED UNITS
That Wednesday grand opening is for 84 units of much-needed affordable housing. Located at 3460 S.E. Midvale Dr. in the Willamette Landing Neighborhood of South Corvallis, Rivergreen Landing includes a mix of one, two, and three bedroom units with amenities such as air conditioning, in-unit washers and dryers, balconies, and stainless steel appliances.
These units are available to renters earning at or below 30% and 60% of Area Median Income. The project also includes a significant amount of outdoor space with a play area as well as a 2,000-square-foot community room designed with feedback from area nonprofits.
Funding for the two-phase, $32 million development came from a range of sources, including Local Innovation Fast Track funds, 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, construction and permanent debt, and Construction Excise Tax funding from the city of Corvallis. Nearly $15.7 million of the construction and professional service dollars were awarded to state-certified minority, women-owned, and emerging small businesses.
In addition to the city, Rivergreen Landing is strengthened by significant community support and input from a diverse group of partners and stakeholders, including Casa Latinos Unidos, Corvallis for Refugees, NAACP, the Corvallis School District, the League of Women Voters, the Boys & Girls Club and the Linn Benton Housing Authority. That support has included – and will continue to include – thoughtful design input, tenant referral and culturally specific resident services.
“Rivergreen Landing is providing beautiful, new affordable housing to people who need it the most in Corvallis,” said Ali Sanchez, executive director of Casa Latinos Unidos, a Corvallis nonprofit committed to strengthening the Latinx communities in Linn and Benton counties. “We are so grateful to be a part of this project and to help residents get the services they need to thrive in our community.”
The co-developers are Green Light Development and Home First Development. “Corvallis faces significant challenges as one of the most rent-burdened communities in our state,” said Mark Desbrow, founder and managing partner at Green Light Development. “This new community will play a crucial role in addressing the rapidly growing demand for affordable housing. We are proud to join a dedicated team of local partners and professionals who are also committed to creating safe, stable and accessible homes for our neighbors. Together, we’re working from the ground up to be part of the long-term solution.”
“Home matters to everyone,” said Brigetta Olson, housing and neighborhood service manager for the city of Corvallis. “The city is thrilled to partner with Green Light and Home First to provide funding to help develop 84 units of affordable housing.”
About the grand opening
The event is set for 10 am, Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Rivergreen Landing. Speakers will include Corvallis Mayor Charles Maughan, Ali Sanchez and others. For more information, including a property management contact, visit www.rivergreenlanding.com.
NEW COUNTY PROGRAM HOUSES THE HOUSELESS, DIRECTLY
Fourteen households, ranging from full families to single individuals, have moved into housing through a new Benton County program – and that’s just since July, when the program started.
The Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool, or FHSP, funds, locates, and secures housing with wraparound supports for people experiencing houselessness with the goal of reducing the frequency and duration of houselessness.
How it works
Street outreach teams and service providers from the Benton County Health Department and community-based organizations identify participants eligible for FHSP services and work with another County program, CHRO, to ensure successful housing placements.
But the work starts before that, because the goal is to have places where folks can go.
And this is what makes the FHSP unique in Benton County – it brings property managers and owners to the table as key partners in Benton County’s response to houselessness. The FHSP does this through outreach, education, and recruitment of property owners and managers, and innovative lease and contract agreements to incentivize property owners and managers participation. They also offer conflict resolution between tenants and property owners and managers aimed at preventing eviction.
“The success of this program relies on strong relationships with property owners and managers and our network of local homeless service providers,” said Rebecca Taylor, Project Manager for the Benton County Coordinated Homeless Response Office, or CHRO.
“It’s not just a referral to our program and then we take it from there. We are in ongoing coordination with the referring support agencies and the property managers and owners to ensure successful housing placements. We couldn’t do this without our partners,” Taylor said.
“We’re grateful for the funding we’ve received from our state and local partners to help sustain this work,” said April Holland, Director of the Benton County Health Department.
“We also know that so much more systemic change is needed to ensure everyone in Benton County has an opportunity to live in decent, safe, and affordable housing,” Holland said.
Funding and goals
The FHSP is part of a state-funded pilot program led by the CHRO, a partnership including the City of Corvallis, City of Philomath, Community Services Consortium, and the Benton County Health Department.
In July 2023, the CHRO was awarded $1.2 million through House Bill 5019 with a goal of achieving long-term housing stability for 31 households by June 30, 2025. An additional $975,000 was awarded through Oregon Senate Bill 5701 as part of the Oregon Rehousing Initiative, or ORI, which increased the goal by 20, for a total of 51 households.
The CHRO continues to seek additional funding sources to develop programming and support staffing while maintaining as much flexible funding as possible to serve households in need.
Recently, the CHRO successfully competed for two one-time funding opportunities through InterCommunity Health Network – Coordinated Care Organization (IHN-CCO):
- $112,910 in Community Capacity Building Funds(CCBF) to establish pathways to connect FHSP program participants with Medicaid waiver Health-Related Social Needs benefits, in coordination with the Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties.
- $123,300 in Delivery System Transformation(DST) funds to support the development and implementation of a landlord engagement and incentive program, an integral component of the FHSP.
For more information on Benton County’s Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool program, visit their website at health.bentoncountyor.gov/fhsp.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF CORVALLIS CEO BUILT EMPLOYER ASSISTED HOUSING, STARTED A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
Earlier this month, the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis announced the completion of four new townhouses they’ve built for employees seeking to stay with the nonprofit. The project has been a longtime goal of CEO Helen Higgins who is looking to help and retain a dedicated staff in one of the most expensive housing markets in the state.
The townhouses range in sizes so they can meet various needs – for instance, from single staffer to a staffer that has a partner or kids too.
School district looks at building too
Offering significantly reduced rent to a committed staff hasn’t been the only benefit – now the School District is looking at the possibility of Employer Assisted Housing as well. In the last few years, it’s been harder to retain District staff that increasingly must live out of town, and commute back and forth because they can’t afford to live in the District.
Correction: An earlier version of this story cited Corvallis City Councilor Jan Napack having said that over half of our area’s houseless are now sheltered. Napack later updated that information to say that it should be over a third – and we have corroborated that figure with information published by the Community Services Consortium in Benton County.
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