Lisa spent years navigating domestic violence, foster care and housing instability in Washington County before rebuilding her life with the help of two county programs now available to Bethany-area residents.

Washington County's Department of Housing Services published Lisa's story on Thursday, Oct. 1, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Lisa, a mother of three, graduated from George Fox University in December 2025 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and mental health studies. The county's profile describes her as chair of the Survivor VOICES Advisory Committee at the Family Peace Center of Washington County in Hillsboro.

Lisa first moved to Washington County in 2010. She later relocated to Lincoln County, where she obtained a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), the federal rental assistance program commonly called Section 8. The voucher helped her afford an apartment while she worked part-time as a project manager for a copy-editing company, a job she still holds.

During two years in Lincoln County, Lisa was raising two children while experiencing domestic violence and increasing isolation. The violence escalated until Child Protective Services (CPS) became involved. She returned to Washington County with her portable voucher to be closer to family and to care for her mother, whose health was declining.

What followed was what the county's account describes as the worst year of her life. Her mother died. The next day, her children were temporarily placed in foster care. She was also navigating a pregnancy.

Lisa worked with CPS for about a year. By October 2019, her children were fully reunified with her, and the case closed in January 2020. She welcomed her third child a few months later. In January 2021, her abuser died.

With stable housing secured through the voucher, Lisa enrolled in Washington County's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, a HUD-funded employment and savings incentive program for voucher holders and public housing residents. The five-year program pairs participants with a case manager and offers financial education, job training referrals and individual savings accounts.

"Stable housing gave me the freedom to make decisions from a place of safety instead of fear and to shift my focus from surviving to healing," Lisa said in the county's Oct. 1 profile.

Lisa has since taken on leadership roles across the county. She serves on the Head Start Policy Council, the FSS Program Coordinating Committee, the Community Action Organization Board of Directors and as vice chair of her children's school district's Educational Equity Advisory Committee. She has testified on state legislation and contributed to efforts that changed Oregon laws affecting survivors. Members of the Survivor VOICES Advisory Committee helped pass a bill requiring every Oregon judge to complete mandatory domestic violence awareness training, according to KOIN 6 News.

The Family Peace Center opened April 30 in Hillsboro on Northeast Compton Drive. KOIN 6 News reported it was the first facility in the country to combine medical, legal, advocacy and therapeutic childcare services under one roof. The center brings more than 20 partner organizations together, including the Washington County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office.

Washington County's housing department administers rental assistance to more than 7,000 households countywide and serves over 20,000 people a year, according to the county's housing department. As of January, more than 1,700 households were waiting for a housing referral.

The VOICES Survivor Advisory Committee at the Family Peace Center meets monthly on the last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Meetings are hybrid, and childcare is provided. Details are available on the Family Peace Center's website.