For people with behavioral health challenges, it can be especially challenging to find a way out of homelessness and into housing.
It’s a population that isn’t always able to get the support they need through traditional homeless services. They might have pending criminal charges. They might be experiencing severe trauma that makes congregate settings impossible. Or they might have been banned from a particular program because of past behavioral issues.
Bridging Connections — a motel shelter program operated by nonprofit New Narrative, supported by the Supportive Housing Services Measure, and overseen by the Multnomah County Health Department — helps fill that gap. It serves people receiving behavioral health treatment through County programs who are also experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
The program provides low-barrier motel-based shelter, along with on-site services tailored for participants, supporting them in sustaining their treatment and connecting them to long-term services and housing.
“The way in which folks are using the program or needing the program varies. It could be that they are coming from a hospital stay and don't have a place to go to. Or it could be someone leaving residential treatment or losing housing in another capacity,” said New Narrative’s Kristin Skinner, program manager for Bridging Connections.
The program has been helping people since it began in 2021. And this past year, the program was able to better support participants by adding a dedicated housing specialist, made possible with Supportive Housing Services funding. Since beginning her role in 2024, housing specialist Wendie Smith has been able to provide individualized support to participants, helping them secure housing that meets their needs.
Without a dedicated housing specialist, the work to support Bridging Connections participants in their housing searches was more challenging. Participants often found housing through mobile housing teams funded by the Joint Office of Homeless Services who visit multiple shelters. Individual participants might also have a housing specialist on their particular behavioral health treatment team, but that wasn’t available to all participants.
“Oftentimes it might be like, Tuesday was a phenomenal day to work on housing, but their appointment was Wednesday, and on Wednesday, they’re not feeling it,” Skinner said. “So having that person available and ready when they are has been really, really helpful.”
That availability and presence is a key aspect of Smith’s role. She spends all of her working hours on site — split between the two motel locations the program operates from.
“That visibility of being there and being available when they need support has been just instrumental and monumental in trust-building and getting people housed,” Smith said. “I get the opportunity to build rapport with them.”
Smith works to build up trust with participants, then support them in what they need — letting them guide the process.
“I love that about this position — that the responsibility ultimately is on the individual, but I can make an instrumental difference in supporting them,” Smith said. “We’re meeting people where they’re at and able to partner with them toward their goals.”
Often, Smith’s first step is supporting people in gathering the documents and paperwork they need for permanent housing.
“It’s very hard for many individuals to even hold on to their ID when they’re homeless,” Smith said. “Having those documents available and ready for their application when that comes about is super important.”
Working collaboratively with her participants, their treatment teams and other Bridging Connections staff, Smith can ensure participants find housing solutions that best meet their needs.
“Our team works extremely closely, so while I’m working on housing, our case managers are also supporting them with employment,” Smith said. “We all work together with the end goal being housing as fast as possible. That may be as soon as a couple of weeks or as long as a year.”
Even after just a few months, Smith has seen several participants find success. One participant received a Regional Long-Term Rent Assistance voucher after moving to the shelter program last year. But because of language barriers and previous negative experiences with government agencies, the participant needed extra help to put the voucher to use.
“The individual felt the process was confusing, and there was a language and cultural barrier. It was so frustrating that they almost turned down the RLRA voucher,” Smith said.
Smith met with the participant frequently to find housing within their preferred criteria, helped them gather all the necessary documentation and overcome barriers, and navigated conversations with the landlord. Smith also helped the participant get furniture from Community Warehouse and helped them move into their new place.
“It was really important with this individual, making sure that their needs were met and that they felt heard. That ended up getting them housed, and they are doing very well,” Smith said. “It’s a big role, but it is so critical for these individuals that they have that support."
