The Oregon Centralized Application (ORCA) development funding makes up the total funding available through the ORCA process. Of this funding, OHCS has reserved or “set-aside” funding for specific organizations and geographic regions to relieve the housing burden of historically underserved populations and ensure investment in communities across Oregon.
Geographic set-aside funding aligns with the
Oregon Housing Needs Analysis and housing cost burden of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities across the state.
25% of total funding available is set-aside for the following organizations:
- Culturally specific organizations
- Nonprofit development in rural communities
75% of total funding available will distributed geographically. Geographic set-asides are:
- Eastern (Deschutes, Northeast, Southeast): 15%
- Metro (Portland metro area): 40%
- Western (North Coast, Southwest, Willamette Valley): 45%
Definitions
Culturally specific organization
OHCS defines culturally specific organization as an entity that provides services to a cultural community and the entity has the following characteristics:
- Majority of members and/or clients must be from a particular Community of Color;
- Organizational environment is culturally focused and the community being served recognizes it as a culturally-specific entity that provides culturally and linguistically responsive services;
- Majority of staff must be from the community being served, and the majority of the leadership (defined to collectively include board members and management positions) must be from the community being served;
- The entity has a track record of successful community engagement and involvement with the community being served; and
- The community being served recognizes the entity as advancing the best interests of the community and engaging in policy advocacy on behalf of the community being served.
Nonprofit development in rural communities
OHCS defines rural or urban status in two parts. OHCS evaluates housing density by census tract and uses the National Center for Health Statistics County (NCHS) Schema to better understand the economic and community context surrounding a given tract. You can use the following map to determine whether a property location is designated as rural or urban:
OHCS Rural or Urban Status Map.