Oregon Advances Development of 66 New Affordable Homes with Behavioral Health Support

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) have selected Gant Gardens, a planned 66-home permanent supportive housing development in Clackamas County, as the first project under a new state effort to build intensive permanent supportive housing for Oregonians with the most intensive housing and behavioral health needs.

“Homelessness and housing instability do not have to be facts of life,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “This partnership between local leaders and state investments is delivering more housing that people can actually afford and quality services. The promise of Oregon lies in our ability to speak and deliver on our values.”

The initiative, directed by Gov. Tina Kotek’s Executive Order 26-01, makes funding available for OHCS and OHA to develop intensive permanent supportive housing (PSH). Intensive PSH pairs deeply affordable, independent homes with enhanced, around-the-clock behavioral health support for people with more acute needs who have experienced chronic homelessness. OHCS worked with developers who completed the agency’s Supportive Housing Institute to select Gant Gardens as the pilot project. OHCS analysis shows the value of sustained housing stability: People who remain in PSH for at least 12 months are more likely to stay stably housed or move to another permanent housing destination.

“Housing and behavioral health go hand in hand,” said Governor Tina Kotek. “Combining these two priorities will provide the opportunity for real, long-term stability for so many Oregonians—this project is a strong next step in our work to create pathways to stable housing.”

Gant Gardens will be developed by NWV Group, a Portland-based developer and property management company. NWV Group is partnering with The Father's Heart, an Oregon City nonprofit organization, to be the lead service provider and oversee day-to-day operations. The $27 million project will combine intensive PSH units with on-site behavioral health service services delivered in partnership with OHA, giving residents a stable home alongside the clinical and tenancy support they need.

Behavioral health services for the intensive units will be coordinated through OHA, building on the state's work to connect housing with treatment for Oregonians living with the impacts of serious behavioral health conditions.

"Housing is critical to health," said Ebony Clarke, behavioral health director at Oregon Health Authority. "When we pair a stable home with intensive, community-based behavioral health support, we give Oregonians a genuine path toward recovery and stability."

Gant Gardens is still moving through OHCS' standard funding process. The project must complete review through the Oregon Centralized Application (ORCA) and receive Housing Stability Council approval before funding is finalized. OHCS expects to bring the project forward for council consideration in the coming months.