Community Outreach absorbs the struggling Mid-Valley Housing Plus

Nonprofit organizations have often depended on the kindness of strangers - and grants.

Community Outreach Inc. in Corvallis is luckier than most, said Executive Director Rich Donovan. It not only survives on grants and private donations, but also contracts with the City of Corvallis and Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.

Luck ran out on Mid-Valley Housing Plus. The Corvallis nonprofit lost some of its grant funding and couldn't bring in enough donations to cover the loss. The agency found itself alone in a cold economy.

It had no choice but to huddle together with Community Outreach for warmth.

Effective Dec. 28, the two agencies merged.

However, their missions always were in sync, Donovan said.

Judy Wilson founded Mid-Valley Housing Plus 15 years ago to offer housing and support services for clients living at the Benton Plaza in downtown Corvallis. Services include medication reminders, help with paperwork and mail, accounting and money management, assistance making medical appointments and transportation.

Community Outreach provides emergency and transitional housing, medical services, child care and other support services to local residents in need.

"It was a good fit," Donovan said.

Members of the Corvallis City Council had been injecting Housing Plus with money to keep it going. However, Donovan said, it ultimately wasn't enough. Consolidation became the best alternative.

Is this a sign of the sour economy - nonprofits banding together to survive?

"I think so," said Donovan. "There's long been a concern that there are too many nonprofits with smaller infrastructure."

Not that Community Outreach is rolling in dough. The agency has also seen its grant money cut to the point where staff members have been laid off. Still, Donovan said, the merger will help ensure that the services of both agencies continue. Mid-Valley Housing Plus will no longer have the need for a director, with Donovan taking over those administrative responsibilities. The focus can remain on case management for clients, he said.

"The permanent supportive housing offered through Mid-Valley Housing Plus provides an important element to the service continuum we can offer in our community," Donovan said.

"We all agreed that it was vital to maintain this service, and we believe we can integrate the management needs in a cost-effective way that will allow for its continued operation."

Donors are still an important part of the equation, Donovan said.

"We greatly appreciate the continued support of the city and other supporters of Mid-Valley Housing Plus," he said. It's this support that will help us ensure that this important service continues to be available for those who need it."