An inside look at first ‘housing-first’ community for homeless seniors
LONDON: An innovative ‘housing-first’ supported living community for seniors in danger of homelessness has opened.
Lane County is ready to welcome residents into its first “housing-first supported housing” community, the Commons on MLK, a $13 million, 51-unit housing-first project for longtime homeless people in the community.
The Register-Guard took a tour of the new apartments ahead of Thursday’s virtual grand opening. Here’s what we learned:
It uses a new housing model
The project uses a “housing-first supported housing” model, meaning it provides 24-hour, in-house services for the homeless, and qualification for the housing will not require substantial screenings or sobriety.
The location is tactical
Placed next to both Lane County Behavioral Health and thCommunity Health Centers of Lane County off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, part of the project’s goal is to better align some of the most vulnerable members of the community with resources that can improve their living situation.
Services are wrap-around, trauma-informed
ShelterCare will provide support services to tenants to help them to stay in housing and achieve their goals related to self-sufficiency. Services include behavioral health support, ongoing case management, assisted rent, peer support, and connection to community.
The new complex is trauma-informed, meaning it is built with the understanding that many of its residents will more likely than not have a history of trauma.
Design coordinates with mission
To that end, the effort to help people who have been chronically without a home heal is even reflected in the structure’s architecture and interior design.
Components of the building such as big windows in corridors, soothing colors on the walls, private rooms for peer support, a courtyard that includes calming water features and visual access to a tree line were added as part of the trauma-informed approach.
Occupancy determined through referrals
Placement into The Commons on MLK is done only through referrals from Lane County’s Centralized Waitlist. A person must be currently living in an emergency shelter, outdoors, in a car or other homeless situation. Homes for Good Lane County is accepting referrals for the The Commons. Unlike most property rentals, with the exception of being registered as a lifetime sex offender or having a record of manufacturing methamphetamine in a federally subsidized unit, poor credit, criminal history or low income do not negatively impact the ability to live there.
Rent is based on income
How much tenants pay depends on their income. The project-based vouchers allow tenants with no income to live rent-free, and those with an income will pay no more than 30% of their income. To qualify for the housing, a potential tenant can only make 50% of the average median income or less.
Project paid by collaborating funds
The city of Eugene contributed $74,953 from its home program, $150,466 from its low-income housing fund, and saved the project $269,466 by exempting it from the development charge, The Register-Guard previously reported. Kaiser Permanente Northwest and PeaceHealth each contributed $750,000; Trillium and Pacific Health Associates, an organization working with PacificSource, contributed $500,000 each; and the PacificSource Foundation contributed $180,000.
Rent, county covers operational costs
The operational cost of the housing and its services largely will be covered by tenants’ rent — though not directly, given the population the project is serving. All of the units will be subsidized by project-based vouchers, which is federal funding similar to Section 8 vouchers but linked to the housing project rather than the person. Rent for each unit is $745 including utilities. According to Homes for Good, Lane County will fill in the gaps if a tenant’s rent doesn’t cover support of the 24/7 on-site property management staff.
