Supportive housing services: Addressing homelessness in greater Portland | Metro

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Rising housing costs and stagnant wages have led to a housing crisis and increased homelessness. Thanks to voters, funds are now available to support housing access and stability for people across greater Portland.

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Metro is committed to using public resources in ways that equitably benefit all community members, and to transparently report on the use of these resources. In Metro’s housing initiatives, accountability means independent and transparent oversight, regular audits and publicly available information on progress toward stated goals and outcomes.

Supportive Housing Services Regional Oversight Committee

The Supportive Housing Services Regional Oversight Committee is made of volunteers who provide independent and transparent oversight of the fund. The committee includes community members with diverse personal and professional experience and expertise, including people with experiences of housing instability and homelessness. The committee helps make sure the fund is fulfilling its goals, and makes annual reports and presentations to the Metro Council and the boards of commissioners of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties regarding the program’s challenges, successes and outcomes. The committee meets at least every three months through the life of the program.

Calendar

Meeting materials

Future meetings

Dec 2, 2024

Dec 9, 2024

Jan 13, 2025

Recent meetings

Nov 4, 2024

Meeting agenda 164.48 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF Published Oct 29, 2024
Video recordingLength 3:19:52 Published Nov 6, 2024
Meeting packet20.47 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF Published Nov 6, 2024

Oct 28, 2024

Agenda97.33 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF Published Oct 22, 2024
Meeting packet3.2 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF Published Oct 30, 2024
Video recordingLength 2:24:47 Published Oct 29, 2024

Sep 23, 2024

Meeting agenda 110.02 KB Adobe Acrobat PDF Published Sep 23, 2024
Meeting packet7.11 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF Published Sep 23, 2024
Video recordingLength 2:22:25 Published Sep 25, 2024

Committee members

James Bane

Pronouns: he/him/his

James is a retired physician and has been involved throughout his career in the medical care of underserved communities. He has worked as a general internist in a community health center and for the Multnomah County Health Department, as well as for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs in their program serving homeless veterans. Since retirement, he has continued to provide medical care and consultation to individuals living outside and in small house communities. Having the opportunity to know these individuals and experience their living environment, he is all too familiar with the effects of homelessness on their health and the health of our community. He believes understanding and fixing the injustices and inequalities fostered by homelessness are among the highest priorities of our society.

Cara Hash

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Cara Hash joined state service in 2019 as a Branch Manager with Aging and People with Disabilities in Clackamas County. In 2021, she joined the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Unit (CRRU) supporting statewide case investigation and workforce recovery initiatives in long term care facilities. She currently serves as Regional Director of Clackamas County, District 15, providing leadership to Aging and People with Disabilities, Self Sufficiency Programs, Child Welfare, and the Oregon Eligibility Partnership. Prior to state service, Cara Hash has sixteen years of non-profit experience providing mental health services, educational support, and mentoring services in Portland, Seattle, Tacoma and Los Angeles. Her work focused on advocating for and serving children, families and marginalized communities.

Kai Liang

Pronouns: he/him/his

Kai is the director of housing development at Self Enhancement Inc., a non-profit organization focused on guiding underserved youth and families to realize their full potential. He oversees the organization’s affordable housing development and resident services efforts. Kai is also a licensed architect in the State of Oregon. His previous experience includes working for prominent architectural firms such as Skidmore Owens and Merrill, founding and managing his own design practice, and developing workforce housing.

With his experience in housing development and architecture, Kai is passionate about increasing housing stability and ending homelessness across greater Portland communities. Having benefited from broader regional, national, and international perspectives, Kai believes he can now offer the same to help stabilize at-risk households into permanent housing.

Kai is a first-generation immigrant who grew up in Gresham, Oregon. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business, a Master of Science in Architecture from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon. Kai enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter and is also an avid tennis player.

Carter MacNichol

Pronouns: he/him/his

Carter MacNichol is a project manager at Shiels Obletz Johnsen and is engaged with supportive housing through his membership on the Board of Transition Projects. His previous participation on oversight committees such as the Oregon Metro Zoo Bond and the City of Portland’s Arts Tax make him experienced in group decision making and collaboration. Additionally, he brings his valuable skills as the founding board chair of Proud Ground and as a developer of several mixed-use affordable housing projects. Carter is dedicated to advancing racial equity by taking “meaningful action to address systemic racism that has led to disproportionate rates of homelessness among the BIPOC community in the region.”

Jeremiah Rigsby

Pronouns: he/him/his

Jeremiah Rigsby is the chief of staff at CareOregon. Jeremiah moved to Oregon in 2011 to attend Lewis and Clark Law School. Before moving to Oregon, Jeremiah was a congressional aide to US Congressman Henry Cuellar (2006-2009) and US Congressman Kurt Schrader (2009-2011). During his time on the Hill, Jeremiah worked on a number of policy issues, but focused on health care policy through the development and passage of the Affordable Care Act. After completing law school, Jeremiah joined CareOregon to help develop and advocate for Medicaid and Medicare policy. Jeremiah is devoted to public service and the committee, stating that “this work is not limited to traditional health care alone, and our work on this committee would be critical to addressing the social needs of populations that have been historically underserved."

Peter Rosenblatt

Pronouns: he/him/his

Peter has over 35 years of experience serving youth, adults, and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. He began his career in Portland at Janus Youth Programs. Peter followed his passion for direct service and moved to Minneapolis, where he worked as the Director of Children’s Services at Catholic Charities in the Twin Cities and the Executive Director of The Link. In 2013, he returned to Oregon and has been overseeing Northwest Housing Alternatives' Homeless Intervention Services department since July of 2019. He currently sits on the Clackamas County Continuum of Care Steering Committee. Throughout his career he strives to manifest his belief that everyone deserves safe and stable housing in his daily actions.

Mike Savara

Pronouns: he/him/his

Committee position: co-chair

Mike Savara has lived in Washington County nearly his entire life and serves as the interim chief programs officer for the Housing Stabilization Division at Oregon Housing Community Services (OHCS). Mike also serves as a board member of the Washington County Housing Authority Board of Directors. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and addictions counselor with over a decade of experience as a direct service professional for people experiencing homelessness and people living with behavioral health disorders. Mike is passionate about designing systems that put those that need the services at the center, especially communities of color and other groups that have too often been marginalized. Mike is committed to ensuring the measure is successful, especially with a careful eye toward racially equitable programs that will help eliminate the disparities that exist in our community.

Margarita Solis Ruiz

Pronouns: she/her/hers, ella/ellas/nosotras

Margarita has resided in Washington County all her life. She is currently employed as a Supportive Housing Services case manager within Washington County. She is a first generation Purepecha from Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico as her parents migrated to the United States in hopes of providing their children with equal opportunities and futures. She is the oldest sibling of five and a mother of five children. Margarita honors her family, community and career through meaningful advocacy in social, racial and economic justice. She has been an ally to the Immigration, LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter and Women’s Rights movements. Margarita believes that everyone should have equal access to housing, mental health services, education and living wage opportunities as they are fundamental to one’s livelihood. She holds these matters dear to her heart as these have all been experiences in her own personal life. Margarita is determined to use her privilege, growth and knowledge for the betterment of others.

Committee members, elected officials

Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington

Kathryn Harrington was elected as Chair of Washington County in 2018 with a focus on increasing government transparency and accountability, advancing equity and diversity, addressing affordable housing and homelessness, along with tackling our transportation needs. Having spent the previous 12 years as an elected Metro Councilor working on important regional issues, and after 22 years in the tech industry, she brings her engineer-trained mind combined with her public servant heart to carry out the work of the County. The Chair believes that in the County’s role as a safety net government, centering community need should be the primary focus of the Board of Commissioners. When not working, Kathryn loves to get outside on her bicycle (or her tandem with her husband) and travel around the beautiful Washington County countryside or hike and cross-country ski other parts of Oregon.

Metro Councilor Christine Lewis

Christine Lewis (she, her, hers) represents the communities of District 2 on Metro Council. Christine has a decade of experience in state and local government policy and advocacy roles. Immediately prior to her time on Council, she served as the Legislative Director at the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. In 2016 she managed the historic housing bond campaign in the City of Portland. Christine’s community involvement includes service as member of the Board of Trustees at Reed College. She is on the boards of the Portland Opera, Willamette Falls Trust and the Willamette Falls and Landings Heritage Area Coalition. Her previous board service includes environmental organizations, groups working to advance women in leadership, and several local government advisory committees. She and her family live in the Willamette neighborhood of West Linn.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler

Mayor Ted Wheeler (he/him/his) was born and raised in Portland and comes from a family with deep roots in Oregon. As a sixth generation Oregonian, he is proud to call Portland home and is driven by his values of strengthening communities through inclusive, effective, and responsive government.

Mayor Wheeler has been in public service for more than 15 years. He was first elected Chair of Multnomah County in 2006 and took office in 2007. Mayor Wheeler was then appointed to the office of Oregon State Treasurer by Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2010 and elected to the position in 2012. He was first elected as Mayor of Portland in 2016, and was reelected to a second term in 2020.

The Mayor graduated from Portland Public Schools’ Lincoln High School, earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford University, and later received an MBA from Columbia University’s business school, as well as a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

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