Forming in 2019 from a cross-section of our community, the HOPE Advisory Board (Home, Opportunity, Planning and Equity) was tasked with developing recommendations for responding to issues related to homelessness in our community. In 2021 the HOPE Advisory Board offered their recommendations, including prioritizing collaboration and coordination of providers and partners with routine meetings for improved care coordination. The foundation of this recommendation was based on work done in other communities using the Situation Table model that has become widespread in Canada and is growing in the United States.

The Situation Table is a risk-based, rapid triage model that regularly brings together multiple human service providers to address situations where individuals and/or families are experiencing acutely elevated risk. The well-structured process focuses on evaluating risk factors and identifying a team of community partners to connect that person or family with services to help them with their specific needs. The response team is tasked with contacting the at-risk individual or family within 24 to 48 hours to help engage them with services if possible. Captain Joel Goodwin with the Corvallis Police Department shared, “the strength of the Situation Table model is that it utilizes resources we already have in our community, tailoring a solution to meet the specific needs of the person or family at risk rather than waiting for them to navigate getting help on their own.”

The CORE Team (Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement), which pairs a Corvallis Police officer with a Benton County Qualified Mental Health Practitioner, was identified to facilitate the weekly meetings of the Situation Table since they would be likely to both encounter people at acutely elevated risk and respond as part of the engagement team.  IHN-CCO generously funded the training, which took place on October 19^th and 20^th, 2023. The first Corvallis/Benton County Situation Table was held on October 29^th, 2023, and continues to meet on a near-weekly basis. Dan Easdale, the Program Director for Corvallis Housing First, recalls, “I admit I was a little skeptical. However, the Situation Table has proven to be a valuable community tool, breaking down silos in our community.”

During the first year, over 25 local agencies have participated the Corvallis/Benton County Situation Table, reviewing a total of 54 situations. Data from this first year shows:

• 70 people were supported
• Each situation had an average of nine risk factors
• Families were identified as at risk in 15% of situations, 85% as individuals
• Half of the people served were in the 40-60 age range
• Most common risk factors included homelessness, mental health, physical health, a criminal nexus (as a victim and/or offender), and substance use
• Outreach teams were able to lower risk in nearly 60% of situations

Once the person or family is connected with services to reduce their risk, the involved community partners take over case management consistent with their agency procedure “The Situation Table is really about getting people to the starting line, then each agency can then help people get to the finish line – which could take months or even longer,” Captain Goodwin said.

The initial success of the Corvallis/Benton County Situation Table has also contributed to a new Situation Table starting in Albany last month. With expected service overlaps, some agencies are planning on supporting both Situation Tables. As service providers continue to learn of people experiencing acutely elevated risk, they will continue to bring those situations forward to the Situation Table to work towards solutions. Ty Pos, the Director of Contracts and Outreach for Community Outreach Inc. (COI) sums up the work of the Situation Table as “…experienced providers who handle the toughest cases in our community” and has come to see the effort as “compassionate souls trying to bring light into darkness.”