Redwood Crossings Provides Permanent Supportive Housing in Salem, Oregon

Redwood Crossings Provides Permanent Supportive Housing in Salem, Oregon

Redwood Crossings is the first development in Salem, Oregon, to offer permanent supportive housing to individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Redwood Crossings was developed as a long-term solution to the homelessness crisis in Salem, a situation that grew even more dire as overcrowded emergency rooms could no longer allow patients experiencing homelessness to stay for extended periods. Located in the North Gateway Urban Renewal Area, a formerly blighted 900-acre section of northern Salem, Redwood Crossings is part of a larger revitalization effort by the city to increase affordable housing, education, transportation, and employment opportunities. The Salem Urban Renewal Agency purchased the site, which was previously an unfinished assisted living facility, and sold it to the Salem Housing Authority (SHA) in 2018 at a reduced price so that SHA could renovate the building and bring it up to code. Residents began moving in after a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late August 2020.

To reduce existing barriers to stable housing, Redwood Crossings has adopted a Housing First approach, setting few preconditions for entry. In addition to wraparound services, the development offers a mix of permanent and short-term units for individuals experiencing homelessness and those who were recently discharged from the hospital. Redwood Crossings provides relief for those dealing with barriers to housing and services as well as those in need of a safe, stable environment to recover from recent illness.

Addressing Community Needs

SHA owns and manages Redwood Crossings and contracts with local service providers to offer onsite support to residents. A leading nonprofit service provider for Polk and Marion counties in northwestern Oregon, the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) strives to address the root causes of poverty through several programs. In particular, the ARCHES Project ― the housing and street outreach division of the MWVCAA ― conducts resource referrals and housing assessments and placements, and it provides basic services to area residents who are experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Grants from Kaiser Permanente and PacificSource, a health insurance provider in the greater Northwest region, fund five full-time, onsite ARCHES case managers. SHA also provides an onsite case manager funded through SHA’s Homeless Rental Assistance Program (HRAP), which reduces barriers to housing and builds self-sufficiency through its Housing First approach. The case managers help residents address medical problems as well as behavioral health and substance abuse challenges by arranging medical appointments, deescalating mental health crises, mediating conflicts between residents, and educating residents on keeping their units in good condition. Case managers also provide resource referrals and help residents complete disability program applications. Although residents are encouraged to take advantage of the services offered, they are not required to do so.

Within the nearly 20,000-square-foot, 3-story building are 37 total units, 36 of which are private rooms that include a living, sleeping, and kitchenette space as well as a bathroom and foyer that are shared between 2 rooms, forming a pod. The top 2 floors provide 30 permanent rooms for one-person households as well as a self-contained one-bedroom apartment. Six transitional rooms are available on the ground floor for individuals experiencing homelessness who have recently been discharged from the hospital. Rather than discharging these individuals to hotels or encampments, Salem Health ― the premier healthcare provider for Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley ― can now coordinate with SHA to check patients into the transitional rooms at Redwood Crossings. Under a 5-year master lease program, Salem Health rents these rooms from SHA; this rent helps cover the building’s operating costs. Healthcare teams determine how long each patient remains in the transitional rooms — the typical stay is 2 to 3 weeks. Upon arrival, ARCHES staff members check in discharged patients, orient them to the onsite services, coordinate referrals, and add them to the wait list for Redwood Crossings or other SHA properties, said Jessica Blakely, asset manager at SHA.

The building has an exterior keypad and keycard entry to individual rooms and pods, ensuring a secure environment. Residents’ keycards also grant them access to covered bike storage. The building has an elevator, and all rooms are fully visitable and adaptable to accommodate wheelchairs. The one-bedroom apartment is also fully compliant with Americans with Disability Act requirements and has a private bathroom. Every unit is furnished with a bed, and ARCHES and Salem Health give residents a welcome kit that includes cooking utensils, bedding, dishes, towels, and personal hygiene items. The upper floors include a hall bathroom and communal laundry machines that are operated using a prepaid card that residents can reload at a station on the first floor or with their service provider using their allocated “barrier funds” in the HRAP program.

The outdoor courtyard and community room on the first floor have remained closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, residents will be able to participate in group meetings, addiction treatment sessions, and skill-building workshops in the community room as well as cooking classes in the communal kitchen. Because of the pandemic, noted Blakely, the original concept of Redwood Crossings ― to foster a sense of community among residents ― has not been fully realized. Despite this, all residents receive food boxes currently stored in the communal kitchen through a partnership with Marion Polk Food Share, a nonprofit striving to end hunger in the area. Through donations, SHA stocks an immediate needs station that provides basic necessities such as shoes, coats, blankets, and clothing. There are also several offices on the first floor where residents can meet with their case managers.

Reducing Barriers to Housing

MWVCAA-ARCHES conducts housing assessments for residents of Marion and Polk counties to determine their eligibility for housing programs. SHA grants selection preference to those on the Redwood Crossings waiting list who are assessed as hard to house or chronically homeless. As of January 2021, the waiting list is approximately 1 to 2 years. Redwood Crossings is considered a low-barrier shelter, barring entry only to registered sex offenders and those previously convicted for manufacturing drugs in federal housing. Residents can earn no more than 50 percent of the area median income, currently $24,750 for a one-person household. Rental assistance in the form of project-based vouchers enables residents to pay no more than 30 percent of their annual income on rent; however, most residents have no income, said Blakely, and the subsidy covers the full amount.

SHA financed the $4.2 million development through several sources, including $1.3 million from Oregon Housing and Community Services’ Local Innovation and Fast Track Rental Housing Program, $425,000 in community development block grants, $270,000 from the Salem Health Foundation, a $525,000 permanent loan, and $425,000 from the Oregon Health Authority, which contributed with the understanding that the building would serve those with serious and persistent mental illness. SHA also received $300,000 through the North Gateway Urban Renewal Area Grant Program, which helped push the project over the finish line. SHA’s own equity contribution financed the remaining costs.

Facilitating Residents’ Long-Term Success

Redwood Crossings provides a housing solution for some of Salem’s hardest to house residents who experience chronic homelessness and health challenges. Although SHA does not limit the length of stay for residents of the permanent units, some residents may use the stability found at Redwood Crossings as a springboard from which they can find housing on their own. The transitional rooms ease the strain on local hospitals, helping people who are well enough to be discharged but who might struggle to recover without safe, stable housing. In addition to frequent meetings between SHA staff and onsite service providers, tenant surveys have helped SHA gauge satisfaction and determine areas for improvement. The input from tenants at Redwood Crossings will also improve future permanent supportive housing developments in Salem. SHA has two additional projects underway that will offer a mixture of unit types based on household size. By analyzing the demographics of those who apply to ARCHES’ programs, SHA has determined the type of units to construct in the future that best match the specific needs of the community. Adding permanent supportive housing developments to its portfolio will allow SHA to better meet the housing needs of some of Salem’s most vulnerable residents and connect them to vital services and wraparound supports.