HOPE Recommendations & Community Progress

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Benton County and the City of Corvallis formed the HOPE Advisory board to provide policy recommendations for a coordinated homelessness response system. The board conducted a gap analysis of available services in Benton County, researched successful models for transitioning people out of homelessness, and engaged the community in public feedback to form these final policy recommendations, accepted by Benton County and the City of Corvallis in June, 2021

Read the abbreviated HOPE Policy Recommendations
- 2 pages, provides short explanation of each recommendation for easy reading and sharing
Read the entire HOPE Policy Recommendations document
- 17 pages, includes background, research, and public engagement for all recommendations

The following is a list of progress made by Benton County housing and homelessness services providers, healthcare partners, and local government agencies toward implementing the HOPE Policy Recommendations and supporting a coordinated homelessness response system.

View the June 2022 HOPE Community Progress report here.

HOPE Foundational Recommendation A - Organizational Capacity

Prioritize housing solutions within existing city/county resources and hire additional staff to coordinate and implement these policy recommendations. Support the growth of local service providers who transition people out of homelessness.

HOPE Foundational Recommendation B - Funding Recommendations

Work with service providers to assess funding to build organizational capacity, pursue additional funding, and allocate resources to agencies implementing these policy recommendations.

HOPE Foundational Recommendation C - Legislative Advocacy

Continue to advocate for statewide funding, shelter bed requirements for every county, and partnerships to address affordable housing impacts.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #1 - Data Improvement

Facilitate and coordinate data improvement efforts with community partners.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #2 - Program Metrics

Work with providers to create metrics for successful program goals.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #3 - Care Coordination

Prioritize collaboration and coordination of providers and partners with routine meetings for improved care coordination facilitated by a full‐time staff member.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #4 - Case Management

Collaborate with social service and health care partners to increase the number of paid, full‐ time case managers to support people transitioning out of homelessness.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #5 - Crisis Response

Pursue implementation of a crisis response team and collect data on the scope and scale of need for crisis response.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #6 - Sheltering System

Provide organizational capacity to facilitate and coordinate providers in establishing a 24/7/365 Sheltering System for all populations with onsite resources at shelter locations to transition people out of homelessness.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #7 - Resource Center

Facilitate and support the creation of a Resource Center.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #8 - Reduce Barriers

Explore and investigate the need and the barriers to accessing housing for individuals and their families in our community whose past history has impacted their ability to secure housing.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #9 - Communication

Provide routine communication, notice, and opportunities for community involvement on the topic of homelessness services.

HOPE Policy Recommendation #10 - Housing Options

Increase development or acquisition of affordable housing units for permanent supportive housing (PSH) by 20 new units per year for the next eight years to add at a minimum 160 new units of PSH in Benton County.