Campaign for New Access Center

The Future Begins Here

Pathways to Stability: The Campaign for a New Access Center

What This Moment Means

A Message from Our Board Chair and Executive Director

Dear Friends,

For years, Project Homeless Connect has been a steady, trusted presence in Hillsboro. We’ve been a place where people experiencing homelessness can find real help. Through pop-up events and partnerships across the region, we’ve responded with compassion and helped people take the next step toward stability.

Now we’re preparing for our most important step yet: creating a permanent Access Center that will bring essential services together under one roof. While we’ve made do with a small, overcrowded house, the need has long outgrown the space. Too often, people and their belongings spill out onto the street.

This new space isn’t just about shelter or logistics. It’s about making it easier for people to get back on track, whether that means a hot meal, a job connection, help with housing, or simply a place to rest and be treated with dignity.

Thanks to generous community support and years of groundwork, we’re ready to make it happen. The need is urgent. The vision is clear. And the path forward is within reach.

We’re grateful for the many hands that have brought us to this point and excited to share what comes next. We invite you to read on and join us in building a more stable, compassionate future for everyone in our community.

With gratitude,

Joe Gall Board Chair

Kim Marshall Executive Director

A Space Designed for Dignity

At the heart of this campaign is a new Access Center. It will be a welcoming, permanent hub where people experiencing homelessness can get the support they need without navigating a maze of agencies or waiting weeks for help.

The new Center will offer walk-in access to critical services like housing navigation, job search assistance, benefits enrollment, hygiene facilities, and more. It will be designed with dignity and safety in mind, with space for both immediate relief and long-term progress.

This isn’t about expanding programs for their own sake. It’s about creating the kind of place that makes stability possible. A place where someone can come in for a shower and leave with a plan. Where people who’ve been pushed to the margins can reconnect, rebuild, and reclaim a sense of possibility.

Because getting back on track shouldn’t be so hard. The new Access Center will remove barriers, reduce delays, and help people move forward.

“It was the first time someone looked me in the eye and didn’t ask me to leave. That changed everything.”

— PHC Guest

The growing need in our community is starkly evident:

The new Center will address immediate needs by offering nutritious meals, bathrooms, showers, laundry services, and access to clothing. These services are vital in helping individuals regain a sense of dignity and stability. At the same time, the center will promote long-term progress by providing onsite behavioral health services, connecting clients with external service providers, and offering structured pathways for growth. Our three pathways— Housing Readiness, Health and Healing, and Building Community—are designed to empower individuals to move forward in their journey toward self-reliance.

Meeting People Where They Are, With What They Need

At Project Homeless Connect, support starts with dignity. That’s what makes our approach work and what sets it apart.

We keep things simple and welcoming. People don’t need an appointment, a referral, or a stack of paperwork to get help. They just need to walk in.

Inside the new Access Center, that simplicity will translate into relief, safety, and a path forward. It will be a place where someone can take a hot shower, charge their phone, meet with a housing caseworker, or grab a meal. No need to travel across town or wait for another day.

We work alongside trusted partners to make sure every guest can access the right help at the right time. Our staff listen first, respond with compassion, and stay focused on what matters most: helping people take the next step forward.

Because everyone deserves a way forward. And no one should have to face it alone.

“Because of your support I was able to secure an amazing job. I am in my children’s lives again. I have a home and can be a functioning member of society.”

— From a friend who sought support at PHCWC

Last year alone:

2,000 People Served at Access Center 4,600 Showers 56,000 Meals 2,000 Loads of Laundry

During severe weather conditions, the Access Center will convert to an overnight shelter.

The pieces are finally coming together.

For years, our region has been investing in a more connected, compassionate response to homelessness. Today, those efforts are gaining traction, and Washington County is being recognized for its leadership in building an effective system of care.

Project Homeless Connect has been part of that progress, filling the gaps with practical, person-centered support. But our current space is stretched to the limit. We’re operating out of a cramped, aging house where there’s no space for private conversations, and where people often end up waiting outside because we’ve run out of room.

A place to rest. A place to plan. A place to begin again. This is more than a building. It’s a turning point.

The New Access Center will be a purpose-built, welcoming space designed for connection, support, and stability. Built to meet real needs.

We know how to help. What we don’t have is the right facility to do it.

The new Access Center will change that. It’s not a someday project. It’s shovel-ready, communitybacked, and urgently needed. The land is secured. The plans are drawn. The moment to act is now.

Investing in Real Solutions, Right Here in Our Community

When you join this campaign, you’re helping people reclaim their lives and helping our whole community move forward together.

With your support, we will:

z Build a new facility designed for people who have been impacted by the stress and hardship of homelessness.

z Meet guests’ basic needs with dignity. All of our guests will have access to meals, showers, laundry, clothing, and personal care items.

z Bring services together. By co-locating with trusted partners, like mental health professionals, benefits navigators, and peer support workers, we’ll meet people’s needs when they need it.

z Staff the Center with care. We will hire professionals who reflect the people we serve and approach every interaction with compassion, cultural understanding, and respect.

z Create a safe space for healing and connection. Thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor spaces will offer calm, comfort, and community, which are important ingredients on the road to stability.

Move in day! A friend from PHC receives the keys to their new apartment.

Your support is more than a contribution. It is an investment in what works and a turning point for how our community responds to homelessness.

This campaign is about building the place where change begins.

Campaign Budget

REVENUE

EXPENSE

Campaign Progress

We have raised:

Together, We Can Build the Future Our Community Deserves

This campaign is a chance to do more than imagine a better system. It’s a chance to build it.

The new Access Center will open the door to progress for hundreds of people each year. It will make it easier to find help, take the next step, and move toward lasting stability.

To learn more or make a commitment, contact:

Katherine Gaines Director of Development and Relationships

Katherine@phwc.org

Phone Number

“We meet people every day who are ready for change. The Access Center will give them the space and support to do it.”

— PHC Staff Member

Your support makes that possible.

The campaign welcomes one-time gifts and multi-year pledge commitments. We also gratefully accept:

z Contributions through donor-advised funds, family foundations, or qualified charitable distributions

z Gifts of stock or other non-cash assets

z Matching gifts from your employer

z In-kind contributions of services, materials, or expertise