Building Stability in Our Community: AntFarm’s Housing Services

As winter settles into our area, AntFarm’s housing team is working with heightened awareness. The colder months bring additional stress for people already living close to the edge. Bills increase. Missed hours on a paycheck carry more weight. Transportation becomes more complicated. Firewood runs out sooner than expected. When maintaining basic necessities is already unstable, winter has a way of magnifying every vulnerability.

Housing instability in smaller communities like ours does not always look the way it does in larger cities. It often appears quietly: rotating between friends or relatives, staying temporarily in unsafe or unsuitable situations, or living out of vehicles. These realities can be easy to overlook or look away from, but they are increasingly present in our area.

Since 2020, AntFarm’s housing services programs have existed to support people facing these hardships with practical assistance, accountability, and care rooted in local connection.

Housing Services in a Rural Context

AntFarm provides housing services through outreach, case management, and partnerships with Clackamas County and the State of Oregon. These services currently include rapid rehousing, short- and long-term rental assistance, housing stabilization support, and participation in programs such as the Direct Cash Transfer pilot.

All housing services operate under strict program guidelines, contract requirements, and compliance standards. Each household and person served is tracked through required case notes, audits, and reporting systems. While this reporting is essential, housing team members emphasize that the work never feels abstract. “These aren’t just numbers. These are real people,” shared AntFarm’s Senior Housing Services Manager. “We take the responsibility very seriously.”

Right now, AntFarm’s housing team is actively supporting 88 households across Sandy, Estacada, and Molalla. While outcomes are tracked by head of household, staff estimate that this actually represents approximately 175 to 200 individuals currently receiving some form of housing-related support.

Trust Is Built, Not Assumed

Housing support team members note that for many participants, trust is not immediate. Past experiences of being turned away, placed on long waitlists, funding inconsistencies in support programs, or being told they did not qualify for help often shape how people approach or receive services.

Early conversations tend to focus on consistency and follow-through rather than rushing toward solutions. Building trust takes time, especially in smaller communities where people and histories are closely connected. “In small communities like ours, this work is personal,” explained the Senior Housing Services Manager. “We live here too.”

A Youth Perspective: Direct Cash Transfer as a Stabilizing Tool

AntFarm is participating in the Direct Cash Transfer pilot program, funded through the Oregon Department of Human Services. The program provides flexible financial support to eligible youth participants ages 18–24 experiencing housing instability, with the goal of reducing immediate financial pressure while supporting longer-term stability alongside case management and goal setting.

One young adult described his housing situation as constantly moving between friends and relatives for the last few years. “‘Let’s see if you’re eligible for DCT,’” he recalled AntFarm staff saying. “And once they explained it, I was like, ‘Oh. That’s me. I didn’t really think of myself as homeless,” he added. “I was just staying wherever I could.”

What stood out most about AntFarm’s support was how the process felt. “A lot of times people just kind of think of you as a number,” he shared. “But this didn’t feel like that.”

Through participation in the Direct Cash Transfer pilot, the financial support became a stabilizing tool that created breathing room. “It wasn’t just about receiving money,” he said. “It was about being able to plan.” AntFarm’s DCT Advocate and Youth Case Manager emphasized that the program is designed to support stability alongside guidance and goal setting. “The goal is to help people use this support in a way that actually moves them toward stability,” she explained.

Over time, he described a shift away from constant short-term decision-making toward thinking ahead. “Before, everything felt day to day,” he reflected. “Once things stabilized, I could actually think about what came next.”

Now housed, working full time, thinking about continued education, and enjoying the relief of paying down debt that had previously held him back, he reflected simply, “I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.”

From Crisis to Stability

AntFarm’s housing services often involve a combination of outreach, temporary shelter support, rapid rehousing, and housing stabilization services. These programs are designed to help individuals move from unsafe or unstable situations into permanent housing as quickly as possible, while addressing barriers that may have prevented stability in the past.

One adult participant, with deep roots in the area, shared his journey after more than ten years of housing instability, including long periods living out of a vehicle.

“I went to a lot of different places,” he shared. “I was trying to reach out for help for years.” The experience was often discouraging. “Nobody really listened,” he said.

Connecting with AntFarm’s housing outreach felt different. The approach emphasized patience, clarity, and follow-through. “She was really the only person that listened to me and actually helped,” he shared. “I truly believe she saved my life.”

With support from outreach and case management, he moved from living in his car into temporary shelter and eventually into stable housing within the community he had lived in his entire life.

Staying close to where he grew up and family became especially meaningful after the loss of his mother. “Being able to stay here matters,” he said. “This is my home.”

The change was immediate and tangible. “I’ve got heat. I’ve got a refrigerator. I’ve got a place to dry my clothes.”

Today, he describes improved health, restored routine, and renewed stability. “I’m doing better than ever,” he shared confidently. “I’m never going to be homeless again. I want to give back. I can’t thank them enough.”

Care Rooted in Place

Housing outreach staff describe this work as grounded in care for the community. “We want people to stay in their community and be okay,” shared a Sandy Area Housing Outreach and Engagement Specialist.

Staff are constantly balancing compassion with accountability, using the limited tools available to them carefully and intentionally while recognizing the weight of responsibility that comes with the work.

Accountability and the Bigger Picture

Housing and human services are sometimes reduced to simplified narratives that do not reflect how participants, staff, or funding partners actually experience them.

In reality, this work exists at the intersection of accountability and care. Programs operate within defined guidelines and reporting requirements, while housing stability is widely recognized as foundational to individual well-being, especially when support is delivered with understanding, respect, and no judgment.

In smaller communities, housing instability rarely affects just one person. Its impact reaches families, workplaces, and support networks across the community.

Looking Ahead

As winter continues, AntFarm’s housing team remains focused on meeting people where they are, using practical tools and steady follow-through. The stories shared by participants reflect hardship, resilience, and the difference stability can make. AntFarm approaches this work with the belief that supporting people and ensuring community members are cared for is something we can all prioritize.

Together, we sustain more than services; we sustain each other. If you would like to support this work or learn more, please visit:

https://antfarmyouthservices.com/donate-now/#sustaining-the-seasons If you or someone you know is in need of housing services or support, please call 503-668-7962.