Deschutes County commissioners authorized the county to accept a capacity-building grant from PacificSource (a pass-through from the Oregon Health Authority) to prepare Community Justice to bill OHP (Oregon Health Plan) for health-related housing benefits.

Trenton (Trevor) Wood, business manager for Community Justice, told the board the funds will pay for planning, staff time and systems to enable Adult Parole and Probation to enroll eligible clients in an OHP housing benefit that can cover up to six months of housing support under a Medicaid waiver. The capacity funds do not itself provide housing payments; rather, they fund the county’s work to access OHP reimbursements for housing-related services once the program is operational.

Why it matters: The grant is intended to expand options for individuals supervised by Community Justice who are at risk of homelessness, by tapping a temporary OHP benefit that staff said is available through an 1115-like waiver for health-related social needs. County staff estimated 80–90% of the department’s roughly 1,000-person caseload either already have or can access OHP, making many clients potentially eligible once billing is in place.

Key points from discussion
- The grant supports administrative setup: billing protocols, reporting, and coordination with housing providers. Community Justice staff acknowledged the department has not billed Medicaid/OHP in the past and will need new processes.
- The OHP housing benefit has a six-month limit for individuals; staff said the program does not publish a fixed dollar cap per person but limits duration and allowable uses.
- Staff noted vacancy rates in local apartment markets could offer negotiation leverage with private landlords, though market affordability varies by unit type.

Board action
The board authorized the chair to sign Deschutes County document 2025-1020 (grant agreement with PacificSource) to accept the capacity-building funds and proceed with implementing the work plan. The motion passed by a recorded unanimous vote.

Next steps
Community Justice will designate an administrative analyst to lead the effort and will use existing staff for reporting and grant management. Staff estimated the waiver and reimbursement mechanism are effective through November 2027 (as discussed in the presentation) and will return with implementation details and any billing agreements necessary for providers.

Provenance
Topic intro: Trenton Wood presentation on PacificSource/OHA capacity-building grant (transcript excerpt: "My name is Trenton Wood, business manager for Community Justice. And I'm here this morning just to get permission to accept an award..." )

Topic finish: Motion approving chair's signature on the grant agreement (transcript excerpt: board motion and roll call approving authorization).