10 Year Plan to End Homelessness

In response to the Governor’s call to end homelessness in Oregon, a statewide plan has been developed to foster action on three fronts: prevention and intervention, permanent housing with supportive services, and system improvement. To this extent, Oregon has developed a series of goals:

1. Prevent and divert people from becoming homeless by working with them to obtain and keep their housing.

2. Expand, develop and coordinate the supply of affordable housing and support services to prevent and end homelessness, and shorten stays in shelter.

3. Build the capacity of homeless persons for self-supporting through strategies that identify their risk of homelessness, their needs, and access appropriate housing with appropriate supportive services.

4. Identify and implement system improvements for coordination at the program funding and delivery levels leading to measurable results.

5. Implement education and public awareness campaigns to remove societal stigma about homelessness and to build community support and coordinated responses.

6. Improve data collection technology and methodology to better account for homeless program outcomes.

In February, 2008, the Bend City Council unanimously voted to join Deschutes County Commissioners in developing a local 10-year plan to end homelessness. With this commitment, Deschutes County joins other Oregon counties in developing these plans.

To receive more information about this project or participate in the process, contact Cindy Pasko at the Partnership to End Poverty at cindy@partnershiptoendpoverty.org or (541) 504-1389 or Erik Kropp at Deschutes County at erikk@deschutes.org or 388-6584. For more information about emerging best practices to prevent and end homelessness, contact the National Alliance to End Homelessness at www.endhomelessness.org/section/tools/essentials or (202) 638-1526.