A Tigard resident who spent a year moving between shelters across Washington County serves on the county's housing policy committee after an August appointment.

Kevin, who is identified by first name only in county materials, was appointed in August to the Washington County Housing Advisory Committee, according to a county profile published Sept. 3. The committee advises the county on housing policy, program priorities and long-range planning.

Kevin's path to the committee started in spring 2022, when he lost his job, his relationship and his housing in quick succession. He spent the better part of a year moving between shelters in Washington County and the Portland metro area while searching for permanent housing.

During that time, he was assaulted and his wallet and identification documents were stolen. Replacing those documents while living in shelter took nearly three months, according to the county profile.

New Narrative, a Portland-area nonprofit with offices in Tigard, helped him navigate the process.

Exactly one year after losing his housing, Kevin moved into an apartment through a long-term rental assistance voucher funded by the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services (SHS) measure. With stable housing, he began counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) he had carried for years and started pursuing certification as a peer counselor.

Kevin said in the county profile that stable housing gave him the time and space he needed to heal.

The SHS measure funds more than 90% of Washington County's homelessness budget, according to Jes Larson, assistant director of the county's Housing Services Department, as Street Roots reported in July.

Before the measure, Larson said, the county used to give homeless people a bus ticket and send them to Portland for services because almost nothing was available locally.

In fiscal year 2024-2025, Washington County placed nearly 500 households in permanent supportive housing and more than 370 in rapid re-housing. Both figures exceeded the county's goals, according to a Metro report. At the end of June 2025, 1,585 households in the county were participating in the regional long-term rent assistance program.

Meeting dates and agendas for the Housing Advisory Committee are posted on the county's committee page.

"I want to be a part of the solution," Kevin said in the profile. "What better way to spend my days doing the same thing?"