Beaverton's shelter, four affordable housing projects and a new waitlist zone all figure in Washington County's annual housing report, released Nov. 10.

The county's Department of Housing Services served more than 18,500 people in fiscal year 2025-26, the majority of them children, people with disabilities and older adults.

Demand still outstrips supply. Coordinated Entry data cited in the annual report shows the same pattern as the prior year: for every household that finds housing, three more ask for help.

Half of Washington County renters are cost-burdened, and median rent has climbed to $1,898 a month, based on U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates.

Molly Rogers, director of the Washington County Department of Housing Services, said the results show "what sustained investments can accomplish for the 18,500 Washington County residents who were served this past year, and what is at stake if our community loses the housing and homeless services people depend on."

Five years of Metro SHS funding

The report marks the fifth year of the voter-approved Metro Supportive Housing Services (SHS) measure, which represents roughly 80% of the department's homeless services budget. Voters in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties approved the measure in 2020, and Washington County began receiving funding in 2021. It is scheduled to sunset in 2031.

Over those five years, the county reported exceeding its housing goals:

  • More than 4,600 formerly homeless residents received rent assistance and case management.
  • Homelessness was prevented for more than 1,100 people.
  • More than 400 year-round shelter beds are now operating countywide, with a goal to expand to 500 beds by June 2027.

Since SHS funding began, the measure has provided more than 3,200 long-term rent assistance and rapid rehousing vouchers to households that were homeless or at immediate risk.

The report states the median income for program participants receiving rental assistance is $987 a month. Fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the county is $1,633, according to federal HUD estimates cited in the report.

Beaverton projects and a new waitlist

The city broke ground on Meadowlark Place, which will add 104 affordable homes. The Beaverton Shelter is among 10 shelters operating countywide.

Other Beaverton-based affordable housing sites in the report include The Mary Ann, Elmonica Station and Amity Orchards.

The Housing Authority of Washington County also launched a new online waitlist that combines several programs into one application. Applicants can choose among four geographic zones, including one covering Beaverton and the area north of Highway 26.

Eviction prevention and federal risk

An additional $4 million in SHS funds, approved by Metro Council in October 2025, went toward eviction prevention after federal pandemic-era aid ended. The report notes that eviction filings across Oregon remain high.

The department manages a $204 million budget. Ninety-three percent of all households served included people with disabilities, seniors or families with children. About 5,200 children and teens and more than 3,300 seniors received rental assistance.

A homeowner's milestone

Ahmed, a former journalist from Iraq who immigrated to Oregon 20 years ago, purchased his first home through the Section 18 public housing program. "I'm the first person, in my entire family, to own a house in the United States," he said in the report.

By the end of the fiscal year, 35 single-family public housing homes had been sold through the program, generating $13 million to be reinvested in new affordable housing. The county's updated Local Implementation Plan for SHS will be reviewed for approval by the Washington County Board of Commissioners within the next year, according to the report.