Washington County's Supportive Housing Services program has moved more than 3,000 households from homelessness into stable housing since 2021, and a new transitional housing facility at 15402 NW Cornell Road near Highway 26 will bring those services closer to Cedar Mill and Bethany residents this fall.

The Cornell Road facility, a converted former hotel, will be managed by Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers (HOPE), according to Cedar Mill News. It will offer on-site recovery services, 24/7 staffing and security, and aims to help residents transition to long-term housing within two years. A community meeting on the project is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Cedar Mill Library upstairs meeting room, 1080 NW Saltzman, where residents can review the second draft of the Good Neighbor Agreement and ask questions of county housing staff.

The SHS program, funded by a Metro voter-approved measure in 2020, transformed what Washington County could offer. Before SHS, the county relied almost entirely on limited federal resources. The regional funding allowed a rapid expansion: approximately 419 shelter beds sustained countywide, more than 1,900 households housed through long-term rent assistance vouchers, and two access centers in Tigard and Hillsboro connecting people to shelter, food and housing referrals, with a third planned in Cornelius this fall.

Those vouchers, called Regional Long-Term Rent Assistance, are the first program of their kind in the United States. Participants pay one-third of their income toward rent and utilities and receive ongoing case management.

One resident's path through the system

Kelle, a Washington County resident profiled by the county's Department of Housing Services on Aug. 5, lost everything in a house fire in Banks. She and her partner Lance, who was legally blind, lived in a tent for more than six months with no electricity or running water.

Three pets died in the fire.

In 2023, Kelle stopped at the Open Door HousingWorks day center in Cornelius to pick up a food box. Outreach staff submitted a shelter referral. One week later, she had a spot at the Hillsboro Safe Rest Pods.

"I got a phone call saying there was a place for us to go. I couldn't believe it," Kelle said in the county profile.

Lance passed away while Kelle was in shelter. Her case manager, Elly Smith, helped her apply for a long-term housing voucher. Smith won the county's inaugural Community CARES Award in fall 2025 for her work with residents like Kelle. Kelle now lives in an apartment in Hillsboro, stably housed despite a lung disease diagnosis.

Demand still outpaces supply

As of January 2026, more than 1,700 households were waiting for a housing referral in Washington County, according to the county's housing milestone report. Data from households served through June 2025 show more than 40 percent include at least one child, 64 percent include a person with a disability, and 28 percent include someone 55 or older.

Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington said in the county's June 3 milestone report that the SHS funding "has allowed us to expand our system in ways that were simply not possible before."

How Bethany-area residents can access help

Residents of Bethany, Cedar Mill, Oak Hills and West Haven-Sylvan who need housing assistance can contact Washington County's Department of Housing Services at 503-846-4794 or [email protected]. Shelter referrals go through the coordinated entry system; individuals can start a housing assessment by calling Community Connect at 503-640-3263 or visiting an access center.

The Aug. 18 community meeting at Cedar Mill Library is the next opportunity for residents to weigh in on the Cornell Road transitional housing project.