Plan to Prevent & End Homelessness

The Central Oregon Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, High Desert Home, envisions a region where:

No one should experience homelessness – no one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

To achieve this, Central Oregon has outlined 6 goals and 27 strategies to create the conditions and supports that prevent homelessness from occurring, and, if someone does become homeless, help them quickly move into safe and stable housing.  With these 6 goals, we can achieve the goals of:

• Ending chronic homelessness;
• Ending homelessness among Veterans;
• Ending homelessness for unaccompanied youth;
• Ending homelessness among families with children;
• Setting a path to ending all types of homelessness.

Goal 1 – Homelessness Prevention

Prevent and divert people from becoming homeless by working with them directly to maintain their housing or obtain safe, stable housing.

Goal 2 – Affordable Housing

Increase access to stable and affordable housing by expanding, developing, and coordinating the supply of affordable housing to prevent and end homelessness.

Goal 3 – Appropriate Support Services

Cultivate the strengths of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to expand their capacity for self-support in housing through strategies that promote economic security, health and housing stability.

Goal 4 – System Improvements

Improve system coordination, communication and collaboration among agencies and organizations at the funding and service delivery level to move toward a “housing first” system, improve discharge procedures and prevent and end homelessness.

Goal 5 – Education and Outreach

Increase leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement across all sectors to promote collaborative solutions and commitment to preventing and ending homelessness.

Goal 6 – Better Data

Expand and improve data collection, technology and methodology to better track homeless program demographics and outcomes, improve collaboration, identify gaps and target solutions.

High Desert Home: Central Oregon Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

High Desert Home, approved in 2015, is an update to the original Plan, approved in 2011.  The HLC is currently undertaking a process to update the Plan to reflect current needs, gaps, initiatives, progress, and set direction for prioritizing efforts on the goals and strategies.