Mid-Willamette Valley Homeless Alliance
Serving Marion and Polk counties, Oregon
The Point-In-Time (PIT) Count that occurred in January across Oregon’s Marion-Polk region involved volunteers, shelter staff, and outreach workers who connected with 879 unsheltered individuals and 926 temporarily sheltered individuals for a total of 1,805 people. This was approximately 20 percent more than the people contacted during the 2021 PIT Count the year prior. The…
Every year, millions of people around the world honor the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. During this time, people fight the stigma against mental illness, educate the public, and advocate for change regarding various mental health conditions. How does mental health impact our local community members experiencing homelessness? Researchers agree that between…
Marion and Polk counties are on a mission to prevent and end youth homelessness. The community is committed to making youth homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. Six months after learning that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded a $3.7 million dollar Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP) grant to the Marion-Polk region,…
Monday night, by unanimous consent, the Salem City Council adopted Resolution 2019-17, supporting the formation of a regional CoC. From the staff summary: Analysis of the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care (ROCC) structure has concluded that a Regional Continuum of Care (CoC) structure consisting of Marion, Polk, and possibly Yamhill counties, offers the potential for…
Wednesday evening, May 22, 2019, Marion County Commissioners Colm Willis, Kevin Cameron, and Sam Brentano approved a resolution supporting the formation of a regional Continuum of Care. Commissioner Willis sits on the Mid-Willamette Homeless Initiative Steering Committee, which recommended the move as a necessary step to improve homeless services coordination. A work session to consider…