Homelessness is a complex but solvable challenge.
We know homelessness is inflicting great harm on individuals, families and our communities. There are a lot of causes of homelessness that are hard to understand in Oregon. Here at Central City Concern (CCC), we face them all.
We know:
- There is a shortage of housing, especially affordable housing.
- There has been a lack of investment in a trained behavioral health workforce, which does not meet our state or region’s needs.
- The drug supply has become increasingly damaging and deadly.
- There are not enough supportive and responsive shelter and safety net protections for people experiencing homelessness.
- Public and private systems are not coordinating with each other, which leads to ineffective results.
- And, like elsewhere in the country, Oregon is seeing a rapidly growing aging population with increased medical needs and at risk of becoming homeless.
The combination of these factors means organizations like CCC must work even harder to help our communities achieve long-term support and stability.
Our 2023 – 2026 Strategic Plan addresses these complex factors and outlines the collaborative efforts and meaningful actions we will take to end systemic homelessness.
While we cannot solve this issue alone, we can use what we’ve learned in our 40+ years of experience in supporting people experiencing homelessness in finding housing, jobs and health care. This experience helps us collaborate with partners and create strategies to make an impact.
Our aim is simple: Let’s end homelessness and ensure a healthier, equitable and more resilient future for all Oregonians.
At CCC, we know recovery, whether it is from substance use, trauma or unwellness, is possible. We are reminded of this every day by the successful journeys we see in our work. And we know personal wellness and community wellness are connected. The goal of our work includes taking care of the individual and strengthening the social and economic ties connecting us all.
We hope you will join us in Recovering Our Community.
Impact Strategies to End Homelessness
1. Meet People Where They Are. People experiencing homelessness are constantly on the move. This makes traditional ways of providing services difficult. CCC will evolve its service and partnership models to serve people in more diverse settings and locations.
2. Support Connected and Equitable Care. It’s difficult for people to access care when they face challenges in navigating systems, high barriers to entry and services that do not coordinate with each other. Even when they do access care, these challenges make interventions less effective. CCC will continue to invest in “any door” navigation that improves fair access to our services, connections with care providers and improvements to our client’s overall care experience.
3. Close Key Care Gaps. When people experience gaps in accessing the care they need, this affects the severity and length of time that someone experiences homelessness. CCC will make reducing access gaps a priority by using organization and community data, participant experience and feedback. Using this data will inform our gap closure strategies in our agency and in our community.
4. Align Systems and Partners for Impact. CCC will use its experience, data and reputation to improve the way that systems and partners work together through collaboration, partnership and advocacy. We know that ending homelessness will take all of us — both private and public — working together in new and innovative ways. We will intentionally pursue and support partnerships that strengthen our ability to direct positive change and deepen our collective impact.
5. Strengthen and Sustain the Work to End Homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the underinvestment in the health care workforce and the critical role a well-trained, supported, and resilient workforce plays in delivering effective care. CCC will be a leader in supporting efforts to strengthen our community health care and supportive services workforce, including enhanced training and development opportunities, while ensuring our teams and organization are resilient and capable of delivering impactful and sustainable services in safe and supportive environments.
Our Measures
CCC is focused on advancing community efforts to deeply impact both the prevalence and harm of homelessness. The results will be measured by the outcomes in our community and by the direct work of CCC.
Through community advocacy and partnership, CCC will support:
1. Reduction in Unsheltered Homelessness: Helping people move to safer and more supported environments, including shelters and transitional housing
- Baseline in fiscal year 2023: 2,340 (Multnomah County’s Point in Time Count)
- Fiscal year 2026 target: At least 75% reduction
2. Reduction in Chronic Homelessness Per Capita: Tackling the most challenging form of homelessness in relation to overall community size
- Baseline in fiscal year 2023: 2,610 (Multnomah County’s Point in Time Count)
- Fiscal year 2026 target: At least 50% reduction
Key organizational measures include:
1. Increased services: Responding to community need by increasing housing, health care and employment services
- Baseline in fiscal year 2023: 13,500 people served annually
- Fiscal year 2026 target: At least 17,500 people served annually
2. Equitable Access: Ensuring that the clients we serve are as racially diverse as the population experiencing homelessness in our region
- Baseline in fiscal year 2023: not met
- Fiscal year 2026 target: will meet
3. Key Access Gaps Closed: Expanding our services to close critical housing, treatment and employment gaps
• Baseline in fiscal year 2023:
- Homes provided: 2,334
- Clients served annually through employment programs: 1,148
- Clients served through substance use disorder programs: 4,208
• Fiscal year 2026 target:
- Homes provided: At least 3,100
- People served annually through employment programs: At least 1,500
- People served annually through substance use disorder programs: At least 5,500
CCC is Committed to
A Culture of Recovery
We believe in building a strong and resilient culture that values recovery and elevates the experience, strength and hope of every person walking a recovery pathway. We do this by creating a stronger recovery-oriented system of care, integrating our services and building foundational connections to our clients.
Equity
Removing barriers and advancing equity for the BIPOC community we serve by:
- Improving how we deliver culturally responsive services.
- Increasing access to services for underserved communities.
- Advocating for systemic change.
- Broadening our community partnerships.
- Prioritizing equity in our organization.
Climate Action
A healthy, equitable, and climate-safe future for all our clients and staff. We pledge to protect environmental resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease vulnerability to the ecological and economic hazards of climate change. This work supports our mission by improving our financial stability, fostering community resilience, and addressing disparities spurred by the climate crisis.
Our Core Values
Safety • Collaboration • Learning • Equity • Sustainability • Compassion
About CCC
Located in Portland, Oregon, Central City Concern (CCC) provides a comprehensive continuum of affordable housing options integrated with direct social services including health care, recovery and employment. Founded in 1979, CCC serves more than 13,000 people annually. Up to 30,000 people across the tri-county region are affected by homelessness. In 2022, CCC helped 13,559 people (unduplicated number) experiencing or at risk for homelessness with affordable and supportive housing, integrated health services, addiction recovery and employment assistance. CCC serves single adults and families in the Portland metro area who are impacted by homelessness, poverty and substance use disorder.
Our Mission and Vision
Central City Concern helps those struggling with life’s biggest problems end or avoid homelessness and build healthy, housed, resilient, and engaged lives. Our Vision is a connected community where all our neighbors have access to housing, health and economic opportunity. Together, we will end homelessness.