Project Turnkey 2.0 Invests Additional $26M To Meet Needs Of Often Overlooked Communities, Bringing Total Properties To 13 (Photo) -07/10/23
Project Turnkey 2.0 Invests Additional $26M to Meet Needs of Often Overlooked Communities, Bringing Total Properties to 13
Project Turnkey and Community Agencies Stand Up Shelter and Transitional Housing to Serve College Students, Families, Women, and other communities with specific needs
Portland, Ore. – Jul 10, 2023 – Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) and Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announced today five additional grant awards for Project Turnkey 2.0, the second iteration of the state-funded program administered by OCF which aims to increase the state’s supply of emergency and transitional housing. Three of the grantees — College Housing Northwest, Family Promise of Tualatin Valley, and Urban League of Portland —are in the Portland Metro area and will focus on specific communities experiencing houselessness including college students, families, and women exiting incarceration. Outside of the Portland Metro area, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will provide culturally specific services with a focus on individuals in recovery and supporting families, while Northwest Coastal Housing will focus on community members that need additional support to transition to permanent housing. The award to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde marks the second Project Turnkey award to a tribal entity.
“We know that houselessness does not occur in a vacuum,” said Megan Loeb, Senior Program Officer, Economic Vitality and Housing, Oregon Community Foundation. “Houselessness is part of a system of inequity that is made visible in individual trauma and hardships. By partnering with local community entities, Project Turnkey meets individual needs for dignified shelter and provides space to navigate into permanent housing.”
With these final grants, Project Turnkey 2.0 has stood up 13 additional properties as emergency shelter and transitional housing across the state.
“Housing is a critical determinant of health, and every Oregonian deserves a safe place to call home,” said Patricia Akers, Program Analyst at the Housing Stabilization Division at OHCS. “As we continue to work together on permanent housing solutions it is important to develop housing that provides residents with access to supportive services. Our neighbors that face complex hardships need housing coupled with supportive services to find lasting stability and wellness.”
These properties, owned and operated by local nonprofit organizations and entities, will provide safe housing as well as critical support, including access to medical and social services, computers, laundry facilities, meals and more.
In Multnomah County, College Housing Northwest (CHNW) recognizes the impact of housing on education and seeks to enhance student success by creating supportive housing. CHNW received a Project Turnkey 2.0 grant of nearly $6.6M to acquire and renovate a hotel in Gresham, Oregon to provide rent-free and rent-subsidized housing for 75 college students.
“College Housing Northwest is thrilled to have been selected by Oregon Community Foundation and Project Turnkey to convert the Ponderosa Inn into much-needed affordable housing for vulnerable college students. Student homelessness is an epidemic in Oregon and across the country, but currently, few solutions exist to address the problem,” said Ryan Sturley, Director of Real Estate and Development. “The partnership between CHNW, OCF and Project Turnkey has created an innovative new housing model that will have a life-changing impact on students for years to come.”
CHNW will partner with New Avenues for Youth, Native American Youth and Family Center, and Mount Hood Community College to prioritize housing for former foster youth, youth survivors of domestic violence, students of color, and students who identify as LGBTQIA+, and provide case management and supportive services such as mental healthcare and counseling, access to food benefits, transportation grants, childcare and emergency aid. This property will help fill a gap in housing options for students who often face barriers such as limited access to housing vouchers, full time work requirements, lack of rental history, and discrimination against younger renters.
In Washington County, Family Promise of Tualatin Valley (FPTV) received a Project Turnkey 2.0 grant of nearly $10.3M as well as additional financial support from Washington County and the City of Tigard to purchase and renovate the former Tigard Quality Inn into dignified shelter for families in need.
“Families are a rapidly growing segment of the unhoused in our community with hundreds on the waitlist for shelter at any given time,” said Rose Money, Executive Director of Family Promise of Tualatin Valley. “Our new building called, ‘A Road to Home,’ offers adjoining rooms to accommodate larger families allowing room for studies and naptimes. The building not only allows FPTV to meet the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing for program guests but will also allow us to co-locate many supportive services including mental and physical health providers, good tenancy, and budgeting trainings along with volunteer supported programming such as preschool reading hours, parenting education and nutrition counseling. We are so very appreciative of the outstanding efforts of the Oregon Community Foundation and Project Turnkey teams who have assisted us in this purchase.”
At this Project Turnkey site, FPTV will be able to expand its current services including shelter, case management, housing navigation, a clothing pantry, a food pantry and more for families experiencing houselessness. FPTV will provide shelter and services for up to 70 households including families and medically fragile individuals as they stabilize and transition to more permanent housing. FPTV works closely with the Tigard-Tualatin School District and this much needed local resource will have the additional benefit of keeping children connected to their schools and communities where they can continue to thrive.
Also in Multnomah County, the Urban League of Portland (ULPDX) received a Project Turnkey 2.0 grant of almost $2.7 million to acquire a multi-family complex to provide transitional housing for 10-12 women exiting incarceration. Dubbed the “Rejuvenation House”, this Project Turnkey site will provide women the time, space, and support they need to stabilize as part of the Diane Wade Program, run by ULPDX and funded by the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice.
“The Urban League of Portland is excited to serve our community members resuming daily life after incarceration because we know these transitions can be quite the journey. We can’t imagine a better way to assist them than wrapping our arms around our mothers, sisters, daughters, and supporting their lives’ new chapters,” said Katrina Holland, Strategic Engagement Officer & Interim Director of Housing Programs. “Women will be supported with holistic programming that helps them stabilize – including help getting their documents back in order, preparing for housing, securing stable income, resuming regular healthcare, and meeting their exit requirements.”
This grant demonstrates the increased flexibility of Project Turnkey in the second round. In addition to funding for the acquisition of hotels and motels, Project Turnkey 2.0 allows for the purchase of other vacant properties to meet the needs of local communities. For ULPDX, that means a right-sized property where they can provide trauma-informed and culturally specific services in a setting that offers both privacy and safety as well as access to community and support. One of the units will be re-purposed to provide on-site trauma-informed services such as goal setting, removing financial barriers to housing, social support, and access to physical and mental healthcare. As a leader in culturally specific service delivery, ULPDX is uniquely positioned to bridge gaps of eroded trust that emerge from systemic racism and, often, abuse faced by Black women with criminal justice experience.
In Polk County, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are also providing shelter, housing, and supportive services in a culturally specific manner for Tribal members and benefitting from the expanded property types in the second round of Project Turnkey. The Tribe received a Project Turnkey 2.0 grant of over $1.6M to purchase and renovate two properties — a former bed and breakfast and a multi-bedroom house — into emergency shelter and transitional housing.
“As a Tribe, we have seen our Tribal members struggle with behavioral health issues and the housing instability that can come from it,” said Kelly Rowe, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Executive Director Health Services. “Fortunately, through Grand Ronde’s partnership with Oregon Community Foundation and Project Turnkey, we can now begin to expand housing opportunities to our most vulnerable Tribal members. With their generous grant, we have acquired two properties that will allow us to increase vital services such as reunification and transitional housing to those when they need it the most. Through stable housing, we aim to improve their health, address food insecurity and provide safety — making us all stronger.”
These properties will allow the Tribe’s “Community Transitions Program” to use one site to provide emergency shelter for individuals or adults with children and the other to support people in recovery who need housing including youth and families in need of reunification. In partnership with Great Circle Recovery, the Tribe’s opioid treatment program, and the Tribe’s long-standing housing services, the Tribe will provide 24/7 peer supported services and navigation to more permanent housing.
In Lincoln County, Northwest Coastal Housing (NWCH) is building on its success with a property from the first round of Project Turnkey to acquire a second property and open an additional 48 units of shelter and transitional housing for the community. NWCH received a Project Turnkey 2.0 grant of over $4.9M to acquire and renovate a former hotel in Newport, Oregon into transitional housing.
"There has been alarming clarity seen in our rural coastal community where a housing vacancy rate of .01% combined with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), mental health barriers, wildfires, Covid, and the distance between communities created the perfect recipe for this massive increase of trauma and crisis induced houselessness,” said Sheila Stiley, Executive Director of Northwest Coastal Housing “This Project Turnkey 2.0 fills a tremendous need and gap allowing time and support for these individuals and families to stabilize with housing, long term goals of sobriety and mental health maintenance.”
NWCH will contract with ReConnections Counseling to provide supportive services for pregnant individuals, individuals experiencing substance use disorders, and families referred to child welfare as well as households from NWCH’s first Project Turnkey shelter in Lincoln City who need more time to stabilize. This second Project Turnkey property will provide better access to needed services for clients who need more time to transition to permanent housing and free up space at the emergency shelter for individuals currently on a long waitlist.
“Opening up a transitional living motel is not just about providing shelter and recovery supports; it's about igniting hope and transforming lives within our community” said Lalori Lager, Director of ReConnections Counseling. “Each room becomes a sanctuary, a steppingstone towards a brighter future. As we embrace those in need and offer them a haven, we unlock the potential within, empowering individuals to rebuild their lives, restore their dignity, and embrace a path of resilience and growth. NW Coastal Housing and ReConnections will bridge the gap between despair and opportunity, creating a ripple effect of positive change that will resonate through generations to come.”
Find a detailed list of all Project Turnkey projects in the OCF Press Room.
About College Housing Northwest
College Housing Northwest (CHNW) is an established community nonprofit that grew out of a 1969 urban studies class at Portland State University. Today, CHNW owns and operates five properties around the greater Portland area, providing below-market rents to college students seeking housing. CHNW removes traditional housing barriers such as income requirements and rental history to create supportive housing communities that empower students, ensuring success, personal growth, and a pathway to graduation. In 2020 CHNW created Affordable Rents for College Students (ARCS) to provide subsidized housing to students experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness. CHNW believes that housing is a human right and is focused on creating opportunities for marginalized individuals to achieve their educational goals by disrupting generational poverty and addressing systemic inequities. To learn more visit: https://chnw.org/.
About Family Promise of Tualatin Valley
The mission of Family Promise of Tualatin Valley is to equip vulnerable families and individuals to end the cycle of homelessness through a community-based response. While shelter is FPTV’s biggest program, they also offer housing loss prevention, shelter diversion, stabilization and graduate services. To learn more, visit https://www.familypromiseoftv.org/.
About Urban League of Portland
Urban League of Portland is one of Oregon’s oldest civil rights and social service organizations, empowering African Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security and quality of life. ULPDX does this by investing in stable housing; through workforce development; community health; education and well-being; for youth, adults and seniors. To learn more, visit https://ulpdx.org/.
About Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon is a federally recognized Tribe that includes over 30 Tribes and bands from western Oregon, northern California, and southwest Washington. The Tribe is committed to the responsible stewardship of human and natural resources while striving to be a community willing to act with courage in preserving tribal cultures and traditions for future generations. To learn more, visit https://www.grandronde.org/.
About Northwest Coastal Housing
The mission of Northwest Coastal Housing is to provide affordable, safe, decent, and stable housing with compassion and integrity. To learn more, visit https://www.nwcoastalhousing.org/.
About Project Turnkey 2.0 (2022-2023)
Based on the success of the Project Turnkey 1.0, and in the face on ongoing need for emergency shelter, on March 4, 2022, the Oregon Legislature allocated $50 million in new funding for more emergency shelters around the state for Project Turnkey 2.0.
To learn more: Oregon Community Foundation and Oregon Housing and Community Services Poised to Launch Project Turnkey 2.0 with $50M in State Funding.
OCF and OHCS Roles
Oregon Community Foundation served as the grantor and fiduciary, administering state-funded Project Turnkey grants with guidance from a diverse statewide Advisory Committee.
Oregon Housing and Community Services provided advice and support for OCF as the State’s Housing Finance Agency. Additionally, OHCS has received resources to administer funds to the recipients of Project Turnkey 2.0 grants. This includes ongoing monitoring and oversight of these funds and the projects they support.
Background
From 2020-2021 the Oregon Legislature allocated a total of $74.7 million for Project Turnkey 1.0, for the purpose of acquiring motels/hotels for use as safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness, at-risk of homelessness or displaced by wildfires.
In less than seven months, Project Turnkey 1.0 created 19 new shelters in 13 counties, leading to a 20% increase in the state supply of shelter beds. Each property is locally owned and operated by a local nonprofit organization or entity (such as a city or county or Tribe).
To learn more, please visit: https://oregoncf.org/assets/PDFs-and-Docs/PDFs/project-turnkey-report.pdf
About Oregon Community Foundation
Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) was founded in 1973 with a big mission: to improve the lives of all Oregonians through the power of philanthropy. In partnership with donors and volunteers, OCF works to strengthen communities in every county in Oregon through research, grantmaking and scholarships. In 2022, OCF distributed more than $180 million, supporting 3,500 grantees and awarding more than 3,000 scholarships. With OCF, individuals, families, businesses, and organizations create charitable funds that meet the needs of diverse communities statewide.
2023 marks OCF’s 50th anniversary. Since its founding, OCF has distributed more than $2.2 billion in community investments, including grants to 10,850 nonprofits and 53,375 scholarships to students. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can work with OCF to create charitable funds to support causes important to them. To learn more, please visit: oregoncf.org.
About Oregon Housing and Community Services
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) provides resources for Oregonians to reduce poverty and increase access to stable housing. OHCS focuses on both housing and community services to serve Oregonians holistically across the housing continuum, including preventing and ending homelessness, assisting with utilities, providing housing stability support, financing multifamily affordable housing and encouraging homeownership. To learn more, please visit: oregon.gov/ohcs.
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