Lower Columbia CAP provides housing assistance services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This includes people with income significantly below Area Median Income (AMI), who have no appropriate housing options identified, lack the financial resources to obtain housing, and lack the support networks needed to obtain immediate housing. 

People who are homeless, and have no appropriate housing options identified, and lack the support structures needed to obtain immediate housing may qualify for short-term limited and temporary financial assistance that helps them obtain a home or apartment. People interested in this program need to contact a Coordinated Entry provider to determine eligibility. 

The Housing and Essential Needs Program may provide non-cash housing and other assistance (personal hygiene items and bus tokens) for some recipients of state-funded Medical Care Services (MCS). Assistance may be given to prevent eviction, to pay for all or a portion of rental costs, utility deposits, and moving costs. Rental assistance is provided during entire period of program eligibility, contingent upon availability of funds. People interested in this program must first contact DSHS at 1-877-501-2233 to determine eligibility.

 This program is an evidence-based pilot project modeled after the Corporation for Supportive Housing’s Frequent User Systems Engagement (FUSE) Initiative. The project relies on cooperation of the supportive housing provider (Lower Columbia CAP) with local jail, shelter, and hospitals to identify and do assertive recruitment of 6 chronic homeless individuals who are high cost/frequent users of services and places them into permanent supportive housing. Lower Columbia CAP ensures that case coordination for program participants is made across the Continuum of Care, and case conferencing and coordinated intervention takes place in cases of hospitalization or re-arrest. Assistance with service and housing costs, as well as increased/expedited access of SSI/SSDI benefits by implementing a SOAR initiative is also provided. The intended outcomes are increased stability and self-sufficiency on the part of the program participants, a high housing retention rate, reduction in the use of shelters, and a reduction in the use of jail.

There is no application process to this program. Program participants are identified and recruited based on their history of chronic homelessness and use of system resources through Coordinated Entry.