Salem, OR, March 25, 2025 — The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) is proud to announce it has been awarded $800,000 through the Housing 360 Pilot Program, an initiative of Oregon Health and Community Services. This significant award will support MWVCAA’s continued work in helping individuals and families transition from homelessness to safe, stable, and permanent housing—while strengthening behavioral health outcomes.
This award allows for the integration of housing assistance, intensive case management, and behavioral health services for individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness. It marks a significant evolution in Oregon’s strategy to address chronic homelessness, prioritizing cross-sector collaboration and sustained, wraparound support. This pilot funding will significantly enhance the effectiveness of our programs, empowering MWVCAA to expand our reach to those with the most complex needs—further advancing what is becoming the most impactful re-entry-focused homeless housing initiative in Marion County’s history.
“This pilot will allow us to focus on positive behavioral health outcomes for our local residents who struggle with long-term homelessness,” said Jimmy Jones, Executive Director of MWVCAA. “It will give us more resources to help those who are chronically homeless and need a lot of support to be successful.”
MWVCAA has partnered with JD Health & Wellness to provide personalized behavioral health assessments open to every individual who participates in the cohort.
The award, which was highly competitive, was granted to only four organizations statewide, including MWVCAA, Benton County, Washington County, and the Columbia Gorge region. MWVCAA’s project stood out for its comprehensive, integrated approach to housing and re-entry support, paired with behavioral health services.
Over the next two years, the award will allow MWVCAA to provide:
- Up to 24 months of rental assistance per household
- Expanded supported services programming, including employment readiness and behavioral health support
The project draws on the core principles of the Housing First model, pioneered by Dr. Sam Tsemberis and Pathways to Housing in the 1990s. This model emphasizes providing housing without preconditions and pairing it with tailored support services—a model that MWVCAA has long championed.
“This award positions us perfectly for the future,” Jones added. “As Oregon shifts toward models that serve unsheltered individuals with higher needs, our team is ready to lead the way.”