Thank you, Chair Roberts. Thank you for your dedication and partnership in this work.
Thank you for inviting me to celebrate this grand opening with you. I am honored to be here today with the elected officials, advocates, and faith and community leaders who believe they can make a difference in their community and see it through.
Often, when we’re trying to solve a complex problem, like our homelessness crisis, we get caught up in the numbers: How many beds can a project provide? How many dollars will it take to sustain it?
I’m focused on outcomes, so I know these numbers are critical for tracking progress and getting the job done. But let’s ground ourselves in what those numbers mean.
This shelter means a warm, safe, private space for at least 24 people at a time. It means the first step toward stability for people who have been homeless for more than a year. The people who will stay here have been struggling for a long time. Here they will find hope, and they will receive health care, good meals, and life-changing support.
In reading about this project, I was struck by the immense amount of care put into every detail. The colors are calming, the sleeping pods are soundproofed, and the lighting is designed to create a space that feels like home. These little details are not little at all. They are caring in action. They tell our neighbors that we see your humanity, and we see what you’ve been through, and we’re here to help.
Having a safe, warm place to call home is the basic building block to a prosperous, healthy life. Everyone here today wants that for every Oregonian. The scale and complexity of that goal can feel insurmountable, but this event today proves that we are making progress.
Since I issued the first Executive Order declaring a statewide homelessness emergency two years ago, communities across Oregon have stood up new services and coordinated systems. Together, we have blunted the humanitarian crisis on our doorsteps.
There are some numbers I want to share with you. By this July, our efforts and funding to tackle homelessness are projected to rehouse 3,300 households and prevent another 24,000 households from experiencing homelessness in the first place. Our state shelter program now supports over 4,800 shelter beds to help people stay off the streets and have access to transitional stability.
It’s a strong start, but only a starting point. The urgency remains, and we need to see this strategy through. This legislative session, I’m advocating for continued investments in shelter, rehousing, and prevention. Despite the economic forecast today, we need to do everything we can to stay the course.
And we know we can’t put this crisis behind us for good if we don’t solve the long term problem. We have to build more homes. We have to make sure Oregonians can afford those homes. I am advocating for investments in affordable housing and cutting red tape so projects can break ground faster.
Being here today with all of you energizes me and inspires me. Being here today makes me believe that we can do it, one success at a time, one Clackamas Village at a time.
If we remain unrelenting in our goals, we can make a healthier, safer, more prosperous Oregon, where everyone has a place to call home.
Thank you.