From Programs to Systems: Why Most Communities Struggle—and How to Fix It
Across the country, communities are investing millions into housing, shelter, and services.
And yet—many are still seeing the same outcomes:
People remain homeless longer
Systems feel overwhelmed
Progress is difficult to measure
The issue isn’t a lack of effort.
And it’s not a lack of solutions.
It’s something else.
Most communities don’t have a program problem.
They have a systems problem.
Before the Work Had a Name
Before Compass House… before Rogue Retreat… and before the projects that now show up in reports and media…
There was a different kind of understanding taking shape.
I didn’t have language for it at the time, but I kept coming back to the same questions:
Why do people fall through the cracks?
Why are systems so difficult to navigate at the moment they’re needed most?
Why does help exist—but not always reach the people it’s designed for?
I didn’t start this work with a title.
But I did start with intention.
While studying Political Science at Southern Oregon University, I worked graveyard shifts at Addictions Recovery Center. My goal at the time was to prepare for public service, so I began mapping out how to engage in real systems work locally.
That led me to the Jackson County Mental Health Advisory Committee.
Between that experience—and what I was seeing every night on shift—I began to understand just how often people were falling between systems, particularly between substance use disorder and mental health services.
Then came a pivotal moment.
Stacy Brubaker introduced the Clubhouse Model to Jackson County Mental Health.
For the first time, I wasn’t just seeing where systems were breaking—
I was part of building something designed to work.
Looking back, Compass House wasn’t the beginning.
It was the moment everything started to connect.
The First Lesson: Belonging Matters More Than Services
Compass House taught something most systems miss:
People don’t just need services.
They need a place to belong.
That principle matters more than most policy discussions acknowledge.
Because without connection, stability doesn’t last.
And without stability, systems fail—no matter how well-funded they are.
The Second Lesson: Shelter Is Not the Solution—It’s the Entry Point
As the work expanded into shelter and transitional housing models, we saw rapid progress:
Pallet shelters
Managed campgrounds
Transitional villages
Navigation centers
These models worked—especially as low-barrier entry points.
They brought people inside.
They created stability.
They reduced immediate harm.
But they also revealed a deeper issue:
Even the best shelter systems fail if they’re not connected to housing.
The Real Problem: Fragmentation
Over time, the pattern became undeniable:
Communities had:
Outreach teams
Shelter programs
Housing developments
Service providers
But they didn’t have alignment.
Each piece worked independently.
And in between those pieces—
People got lost.
That’s the gap.
That’s where homelessness persists.
The Shift: From Programs to Systems
This is where the work changes.
Not by building more programs.
But by connecting the ones that already exist.
Systems don’t fail because nothing is happening.
Systems fail because nothing is connected.
What This Looks Like in Practice
On Oregon’s South Coast, this shift has taken shape through:
North Bend Family Housing — the first large-scale affordable housing development in the region in over 40 years
Anchor Point Housing — expanding housing access into underserved rural areas
Regional coordination between outreach, shelter, housing, and services
The SPARC Model — a framework that connects all of these elements into a functioning continuum
The goal isn’t complicated:
Create a system where people can move from crisis → to stability → to housing—without falling through the cracks.
Why Rural Communities Feel This the Most
In larger urban areas, fragmentation can be hidden by scale.
In rural communities, it can’t.
When systems aren’t aligned:
Resources are stretched thin
Gaps are visible immediately
People stay homeless longer
But when systems are aligned:
Movement happens
Resources go further
Communities regain confidence
The Opportunity Most Communities Miss
Here’s the reality:
Most communities already have the pieces.
They have:
Service providers
Shelter capacity
Housing development pipelines
Funding streams
What they don’t have—
is a system that connects them.
The Role of HSC
This is where Homeless Solutions Consultants comes in.
HSC isn’t about introducing entirely new ideas.
It’s about helping communities:
Map what already exists
Identify where people fall through the cracks
Align programs into a functioning system
Create clear pathways from outreach to housing
In short:
We help communities move from activity → to outcomes.
Learn More & See the Work
For those interested in how this work has evolved in real time:
NBC/CCHA Blog: https://ccnbchas.org/blog/
Homeless Solutions Consultants: https://www.homelesssolutionsconsultants.com/blog
SPARC spreading into Rural California (Del Norte Mission Possible):
https://delnortemissionpossible.org/news-1/f/building-what%E2%80%99s-been-missing-sparc-in-coos-and-curry-countiesSPARC Network vie Southern Oregon Coast Regional Housing (SOCRH): https://www.sparcnetwork.org/
🎥 Video & Media Coverage
Early work, shelter development, and system evolution:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTCs5ptMbQ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQPvEiXGQ50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFefU4eRlXo
https://youtu.be/wNz__3_jQMk?si=VleBUvBqi4EHNsKa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A1dCINdE-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9DkZhEHzxc&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zApMEBn9EI
https://youtu.be/ltPXr0_HW8I?si=ddhFhwSeTGF4uyOg
Media coverage:
https://clubhouse-intl.org/the-compass-house-story/
https://www.streetroots.org/housing/2021/04/28/anti-camping-law-medford-draws-national-attention/
https://kobi5.com/news/local-news/rogue-retreats-gateway-housing-in-talent-close-to-filling-up-for-almeda-fire-survivors-181437/
https://bendbulletin.com/2021/08/29/oregons-low-barrier-shelters-can-offer-entry-into-services/
https://www.nrtoday.com/news/local/much-needed-to-help-homeless-people-in-roseburg-medford-group-says/article_6c157721-b535-5bac-8827-f16d434623ab.html
https://kobi5.com/news/north-bend-family-housing-project-includes-105-affordable-housing-units-267146/
https://theworldlink.com/news/low-income-housing-development-breaks-ground-first-of-its-kind-in-40-years/article_979c2a66-e38d-4b19-9083-dec7d99ff94c.html
https://ktvl.com/station/news-10-first-alert-fire-recovery/new-pallet-shelters-increase-housing-options-at-rogue-retreat-urban-campground
https://wildrivers.lostcoastoutpost.com/2019/oct/8/rogue-retreat-introduces-tiny-house-transitional-h/
https://www.kdrv.com/community/medford-city-council-approves-rogue-retreat-s-new-urban-campground-location/article_acfc6070-ee9e-11ec-8412-c72f7a619db6.html
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/18/medfords-first-urban-campground-provides-a-safe-space-for-homeless-campers-but-not-for-long/
https://ktvl.com/news/local/grants-pass-to-see-newly-proposed-transitional-homes-for-homeless-after-success-in-medford
Closing: The Work Ahead
The path forward isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing things together.
Housing without shelter doesn’t work.
Shelter without services doesn’t work.
Services without coordination don’t work.
But when systems align—
Everything changes.
Check out the original blog here:
Matthew Vorderstrasse
Homeless Solutions Consultants