HB 4123 Pilots

HB 4123 – City-County Coordinated Homeless Response Pilots

The 2022 Legislature passed HB 4123 to establish locally led, regional housing coordination through 8 pilots across the state. Each pilot received $1 million in state funding to operationalize coordinated offices, anchored by city-county partnerships, to strengthen their communities’ homeless response. These pilots are intended leverage and coordinate existing work in the community and identify gaps in partnership with existing service providers. The HB 4123 pilots will:

• Provide high-level coordination, centralized communication, and strategic visioning;
• Identify opportunities to more effectively leverage existing funds and access new resources; and
• Create a more equitable, accessible and responsive system for their residents experiencing homelessness.

HB 4123 sets out minimum standards for each pilot, including:

• Sign a formal agreement with regional partners to manage and facilitate the coordinated homeless response office;
• Establish an oversight board, consisting of members from each participating local government;
• Develop a 5-year strategic plan to identify gaps in their community’s homeless services, in coordination with community partners and existing efforts;
• Commit to continued, sustained funding beyond the first 2 years of state funding; and
• Report back to the legislature and OHCS on local progress, opportunities, and challenges to inform future state homeless funding and policy decisions.

These standards provide a basic structure for accountability and the reasonable use of funds while giving communities the flexibility to model local best practices and create efficiencies in their regional homeless response systems, all in the name of improving access to resources and services for Oregonians experiencing homelessness. The required coordination with existing community partners, culturally specific organizations, and state and federal systems intends to build on Oregon’s developing homeless response strategy, including critical connections to permanent affordable housing.

HB 4123 designated 8 pilots collaboratives around the state, which are in the early stages of implementing their local coordination under the bill:

• Home Opportunity Planning and Equity (HOPE)
  • Benton County, City of Corvallis
  • Contact: Rebecca Taylor, HOPE Project Manager, Benton County
• Coos County, City of Coos Bay, City of North Bend
  • Contact: Nichole Rutherford, Assistant City Manager, City of Coos Bay
• Deschutes County, City of Bend, City of Redmond, City of Sisters, City of La Pine
  • Contact: Chris Ogren, Director Coordinated Houseless Response Office, Deschutes County
• Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative
  • Hood River County, Wasco County, Sherman County, City of The Dalles, City of Hood River, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council
  • Contact: Kelli Horvath, Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative Director
• Lincoln County, Lincoln City, City of Newport, City of Toledo
  • Contact: Tim Johnson, Lincoln County Administrator
• Polk County, City of Falls City, City of Monmouth, City of Independence, City of Willamina, City of Dallas, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Contact: Jeremy Gordon, Polk County Commissioner
• Tillamook County, City of Tillamook, Bay City, City of Garibaldi, City of Rockaway Beach, City of Wheeler, City of Manzanita, Community Action Resource Enterprises Inc. (CARE)
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Contact: Erin Skaar, Tillamook County Chair
• Umatilla County, City of Hermiston, City of Stanfield, City of Echo, City of Umatilla     
  • Contact: David Stockdale, Umatilla City Manager