Three local Corvallis organizations have applied for up to $1 million dollars of funding allocated to the city of Corvallis to support projects that can create emergency shelter, traditional housing and permanent housing. 

In September, the Oregon Legislature identified five or six metro areas in Oregon that could benefit from funding to combat homelessness, said Patrick Rollens, the city public information officer. Following the allocation of funds, the city put together a portal for proposals, where local organizations could submit their projects to the city and request part of the funding. 

“The money comes from the state, through the city and out the door to whoever receives the funding,” Rollens said. 

The application required that all applicants’ projects be geared towards the construction, acquisition and/or rehabilitation of existing property to be used for permanent, supportive or transitional housing, or that it be used for emergency shelters. 

“We’re looking for a project — not necessarily an organization that has a mission in place — but we want kind of a new idea, with some new infrastructure for Corvallis,” Rollens said.

Following the application deadline yesterday, the city has begun the process of sorting through the three project proposals. It is unclear how soon the city will make a decision. 

While the city can choose to split the $1 million between organizations who applied, Rollens anticipated that the entire allotted funding may go to just one project. 

“One of the things the city is looking at the proposals for is what to do with the money. Anybody in our housing division will tell you that $1 million dollars probably will make the most difference,” Rollens said. “The biggest bang for the buck will be to spend it in one big chunk on new infrastructure, a new shelter design, or something like that.”