Washington County commissioners directed $675,634 in supportive housing funds toward a new Just Compassion shelter project at their Tuesday, Sept. 1 meeting.

The money, drawn from the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services (SHS) tax, will cover capital gap funding for construction of Just Compassion's South County Access Center. The item appeared on the consent agenda at the board's hybrid meeting in Hillsboro, according to the meeting agenda. The SHS tax is paid by Washington County residents and businesses, including households in unincorporated communities like Bethany, Cedar Mill and Oak Hills.

Just Compassion, a Tigard-based nonprofit serving unhoused adults, already operates a 60-bed Shelter and Resource Center in Tigard that opened in March 2025. That facility cost $12.4 million, with nearly $10 million coming from Metro's SHS fund and additional support from Washington County. The South County Access Center is a separate project. The county has not released details about its location or capacity.

The SHS tax, approved by voters in May 2020, funds more than 90% of Washington County's homelessness budget, according to a July 2026 Street Roots report. The tax is set to expire in 2030. By spring 2026, more than 3,000 households had moved into stable housing through SHS-funded programs since 2021, according to county data. As of January 2026, over 1,700 households remained on the county's waiting list for a housing referral.

In June 2026, when the county announced the 3,000-household milestone, Board Chair Kathryn Harrington said, "Supportive Housing Services funding has allowed us to expand our system in ways that were simply not possible before."

Also on the consent agenda, commissioners authorized renewal of the franchise agreement for Recology Organics' North Plains Compost Facility. The site at 9570 NW 307th Ave. in North Plains processes about 80,000 tons of yard trimmings and food scraps each year. Recology Oregon Compost, Inc. has operated the facility since 2009 under a state composting permit. The prior franchise ran through June 19, 2026; terms of the new agreement were not detailed in the agenda.

The board proclaimed September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

In a separate action item, commissioners authorized Chair Harrington to sign an employment agreement for county counsel. As we reported Wednesday, Sept. 2, the county appointed Cortney Duke-Driessen to lead the Office of County Counsel.

The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m., based on its standing schedule. Meetings are streamed on the county's YouTube channel.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.