Klamath County, Oregon – Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has committed $5 million to the Youth Emergency Housing Assistance Program (YEHA) in order to solve the urgent problem of youth homelessness in rural Oregon. Aiming to give vital assistance to young people and families either homeless or at risk of losing their housing, this targeted effort will support five groups spread over Coos, Klamath, Lincoln, Douglas, and Josephine counties.
“We are committed to ensuring every young person in Oregon has a safe place to call home,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “By investing in real solutions to address youth homelessness, we aim to bridge the funding and service gaps that rural communities often face. This investment will help create sustainable pathways to housing stability and increase opportunities for our youth to thrive.”
Using comprehensive data from Oregon’s Emergency Homelessness Response and the Department of Education, the YEHA project team selected locations most in need of help. The money will thus be divided among five groups with a strong local presence and a track record of tackling homelessness. These groups include the Coos County Office of Homelessness Response, Integral Youth Services in Klamath County, the Lincoln County Housing Authority, Family Faith and Relationship Advocates (FARA) in Douglas County, and the Maslow Project in Josephine County.
“This funding will empower us to expand our outreach, enhance our support services, and build sustainable solutions for the unique challenges faced by our Josephine County community,” said Maslow Project Founder and Executive Director Mary Ferrell in a news release.
“It’s a vital step toward ensuring that youth and families in our county can access safe and stable housing. We know that when stabilized, youth are far more likely to finish high school, improve their long-term outcomes, and end the cycle of homelessness,” Ferrell added.
The $5 million donation will support a variety of initiatives meant to offer families both immediate and long-term relief. This covers basic costs such utilities, rent, moving charges, transportation, and houseware. The initiative seeks to create a dependable network of assistance for families by including housing providers and educational institutions. This cooperation is supposed to not only help to stabilize living conditions but also encourage academic performance for school-age youngsters.
YEHA’s holistic approach addresses the root causes of homelessness while also creating opportunities for families to rebuild their lives. The initiative aims to break the cycle of homelessness by concentrating on housing and family stability thereby giving young people a basis to achieve in their education and beyond.
Dealing with homelessness presents special difficulties for rural communities, including less resources and fewer support services than in metropolitan regions. The investment made by OHCS acknowledges these differences and moves toward fair playing field for rural Oregonians. OHCS wants to significantly and quantitatively improve the lives of underprivileged young people and families by focusing money where they most need it.
The selected companies expressed their intention to maximize the influence of the money. Every group will make use of its portion to increase outreach initiatives, enhance community cooperation, and create innovative solutions catered to the particular requirements of their areas.
Acting as Oregon’s housing finance agency, OHCS offers financial and program support to build and preserve low- and moderate-income citizens’ access to affordable homes. Through collaborations with nearby companies, OHCS aims to provide initiatives stabilizing housing and tackling homelessness across the state.
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This most recent project highlights the agency’s will to address housing instability directly, especially in places with limited resources. The $5 million investment represents an optimistic step in guaranteeing every young person in Oregon has the chance to flourish in a secure family environment.
