A Washington County mother of three rebuilt her life after domestic violence with help from two housing programs available to Tigard-area residents in crisis.

Washington County profiled the woman, identified only as Lisa, on Thursday, Oct. 1, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The county published her story with her permission.

Lisa spent years moving between Kansas, Texas, California and Germany before settling in Oregon. While living in Lincoln County, she was raising two children, working part-time as a project manager for a copy-editing company and enduring escalating abuse. The violence grew severe enough that Child Protective Services became involved.

She obtained a Housing Choice Voucher, commonly called Section 8, which helped her afford her own apartment. She later transferred the voucher to Washington County to be closer to family and to care for her mother.

What followed was, in her words, the worst year of her life. Her mother died. The next day, her children were placed in foster care. She was also navigating a pregnancy. Lisa worked with CPS for about a year. By October 2019, her children were fully reunified with her, and the case closed in January 2020. A few months later, she welcomed her third child.

In January 2021, her abuser died.

With her family together and stable housing secured, Lisa enrolled in the county's Family Self-Sufficiency program. The five-year federal program pairs voucher holders with a case manager, financial education and a savings account for goals like education or buying a home. In December 2025, she graduated from George Fox University in Newberg with a bachelor's degree in psychology and mental health studies.

"Stable housing gave me the freedom to make decisions from a place of safety instead of fear and to shift my focus from surviving to healing," Lisa said in the county profile.

Lisa now serves on the Survivor VOICES Advisory Committee at the Family Peace Center of Washington County in Hillsboro, according to the county. She also sits on the Head Start Policy Council, the FSS Program Coordinating Committee and the Community Action Organization Board of Directors.

The Housing Choice Voucher program is open to families earning below 50% of the county's median income. Waitlist openings are announced on the county housing website and its monthly e-newsletter. Residents can create an account on the county housing authority's applicant portal to receive notifications when spots open.

The VOICES committee meets at 6 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month. Meetings are hybrid, and childcare is provided.