On January 10, 2023, Governor Kotek announced a series of executive orders aimed at reducing unsheltered homelessness in Oregon. Funds flow through the Continuum of Care system, and Executive Order 23-02 allocates $13.9 million to Central Oregon (Crook, Jefferson and Deschutes Counties) to achieve the following two goals before January 10, 2024:
- Create 111 new shelter beds
- Rehouse 161 households from unsheltered homelessness
The funding must be spent and projects operational by January 10, 2024. With such a tight turnaround, projects with the highest chance of success and the greatest impact will be prioritized. There are a variety of projects that, while surely impactful, may not fit the narrow requirements that are specified in this funding. You can learn more about the requirements by reading more on the State of Oregon’s website at oregon.gov/ohcs/Pages/housing-eo.aspx.
In February 2023, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) was contacted by the State of Oregon and asked to convene a Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) Group for the planning and priority identification portion of the Executive Order process. COIC began convening the MAC group in early March and submitted an initial draft plan to the State of Oregon in mid-March. All meetings and materials from that process, as well as the most current version of the plan, can be accessed at coic.org/eo2302.
COIC is facilitating an application process to help Central Oregon Service Providers move projects from concept into reality. The official application for funding is open and can be accessed at COIC’s Executive Order webpage at coic.org/eo2302. The submission deadline is Monday, May 8 2023 at 11:59pm.
COIC is excited for the positive impact this opportunity will have on our community; however, there is still a lot of work to be conducted. COIC is coordinating a grants committee with regional representation to evaluate applications and award funds to selected project applicants across Central Oregon. “Our region has a short timeline to achieve very aggressive goals set forth by Governor Kotek. COIC is eager to get the first phase of funding into the hands of our regional partners” noted Tammy Baney, executive director for COIC.
Funding from this opportunity will flow in two phases. COIC received $3.6 million to support work immediately with up-front funding. After July 1, the remaining funding will become available on a reimbursement basis for projects awarded under this opportunity.
Please reach out to Chris Ogren at Cogren@coic.org with any questions, comments or concerns.
