Disability Support Services in Forest Grove, OR
In-home attendant care and disability support for individuals and families in Forest Grove and the surrounding Portland metro.
Forest Grove at a Glance
- Services Available
- In-Home Attendant Care
- County
- Washington County
- Local CDDP
- Washington County Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP) · 503-846-4737
- Nearest Day Support Activities
- Salem
Disability Support Agency Serving Forest Grove and Washington County
Forest Grove sits at the western edge of Washington County, where the Tualatin Valley's vineyards and farmland start to take over from suburban sprawl. With a population of about 26,000, it's smaller than Beaverton or Hillsboro — and it feels different. Forest Grove is a college town. Pacific University, founded in 1849, anchors the city's downtown and gives Forest Grove a steady undercurrent of students, faculty, and healthcare clinic activity that you don't find in the surrounding farm communities. The result is a place that's compact and walkable, with a real main street, a working farmers market, and concerts in the park during the summer — but still close enough to Hillsboro and Beaverton that families can reach metro-level services without a long drive.
North Star Oregon brings its person-centered, in-home attendant care model to Forest Grove and the western half of Washington County. We're a Willamette Valley-founded agency, and Forest Grove fits naturally into how we already work — a smaller community where staffing consistency and direct family communication actually matter, served by an agency that knows how to operate outside major metro hubs.
Washington County's Community Developmental Disabilities Program serves the entire county, including Forest Grove, from its main office in Hillsboro at 5240 NE Elam Young Parkway, Suite 150 (503-846-4737). Forest Grove residents access Washington County CDDP services through that office, and TriMet bus 57 connects Forest Grove to Hillsboro and onward to the broader metro for individuals who travel to appointments. North Star Oregon coordinates with Washington County case managers to deliver attendant care under existing service plans, and we can help individuals and families new to the I/DD system understand eligibility and the application process. For families in Forest Grove, Cornelius, and the surrounding rural-edge communities, having a provider that comes to you — rather than expecting you to travel to Hillsboro or Beaverton for every service interaction — is part of what makes our model work here.
Disability Support Services in Forest Grove, Oregon
A College Town Has Different Resources
Pacific University's presence shapes what's available in Forest Grove in ways that matter for I/DD families. The university operates a College of Health Professions with clinics in occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, vision, and psychology — many of which see community clients on a sliding-scale or training-clinic basis. For individuals with developmental disabilities, that can mean access to specialized evaluations and therapies in town, rather than a drive to Portland or OHSU. The university also has a long track record of accommodating students with disabilities, which has built a local culture that's generally familiar with disability accommodations and inclusive practices. North Star Oregon doesn't run any of these clinics, but our attendant care workers regularly help individuals get to and from appointments at Pacific's clinics, the Forest Grove City Library, and other community resources. Knowing the local landscape — which clinics take which referrals, which library programs are accessible, which routes are walkable — is part of what an in-home agency rooted in the community actually provides.
Quality at a Smaller Scale
Forest Grove isn't going to support the volume of I/DD provider options that Beaverton or Hillsboro do — the population just isn't there. That makes provider quality more important, not less. When the pool of agencies serving a community is smaller, families need to be able to trust that the agency they pick will show up consistently, communicate directly, and keep the same workers in place over time. North Star Oregon is transparent about how we staff: trained, background-checked attendant care workers matched to each individual, schedules built with the family rather than imposed, and direct contact with our office when something needs to change. We don't run a call center, and we don't rotate staff without notice. In a smaller community where word travels, that's how we expect to be evaluated.
In-Home Attendant Care Services in Forest Grove, Oregon
In-home attendant care is the service North Star Oregon provides in Forest Grove. For individuals with I/DD, that means one-on-one support in your own home — help with personal care, daily living, skill building, and getting out into the community. Forest Grove is a good place for that kind of community-based support because the city is compact and the resources are concentrated. Downtown Forest Grove, the Forest Grove City Library, and Pacific University's campus are all within a few blocks of each other, and Rogers Park and Lincoln Park sit close to residential neighborhoods.
Our attendant care workers help individuals use those resources at their own pace — walking the B Street Permanent Trailhead, spending an afternoon at Rogers Park, attending library programs, going to the Forest Grove Farmers Market on summer Wednesdays, or catching a free Concerts in the Park show. For individuals who want to expand further out, the Tualatin Valley wine country is right next door, and TriMet bus 57 connects Forest Grove to Hillsboro and the broader metro for medical appointments, shopping, or simply a change of scenery. At home, attendant care covers the practical day-to-day — cooking, cleaning, hygiene, medication reminders, and the steady work of building skills toward more independence over time.
- Personal care and daily living assistance
- Skill building for independent living
- Community access — Rogers Park, Lincoln Park, B Street Trailhead, library programs, farmers market
- Transportation support to Pacific University clinics and Hillsboro-area appointments
- Help navigating Washington County CDDP and brokerage services
- Consistent staffing from familiar, trained support workers
Day Support Activities Near Forest Grove, Oregon
North Star Oregon does not currently operate a Day Support Activities (DSA) location in Forest Grove or anywhere in the Portland metro area. In-home attendant care is the service we provide locally. Our DSA programs are located in the Willamette Valley — Albany, Corvallis, Eugene, Springfield, Salem, and Tangent — along with Grants Pass in southern Oregon.
We're realistic about Forest Grove. The population is about 26,000, and the surrounding rural-edge communities are smaller still, so a standalone DSA location here is unlikely in the near term. The more probable path, if and when we expand group-based day programming into Washington County, is a Hillsboro or Beaverton location that Forest Grove residents could reach via TriMet bus 57 or family transportation. None of that is on the schedule today — but it's something we evaluate as our presence in the metro grows. If DSA is important to you or your family, let us know if it would matter for your family.
Ready to talk about care in Forest Grove?
A real person on our team will reply within one business day — no phone trees, no intake robots.
Services are typically at no out-of-pocket cost to families, funded through Oregon's K-Plan (Medicaid).
Washington County Disability Resources
- Washington County Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP) — Eligibility, case management, and service coordination for Washington County residents with I/DD, including Forest Grove, Cornelius, and the western Tualatin Valley. Main office: 5240 NE Elam Young Parkway, Suite 150, Hillsboro, OR 97124.
Phone: 503-846-4737
- Self-Determination Resources, Inc. (SDRI) — Full-service brokerage serving Washington County residents with I/DD since 1997, including Forest Grove. Assists individuals and families with self-directed supports and community-based resources.
Phone: 503-292-7142
- The Arc Washington County — Local chapter of The Arc advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families across Washington County, including Forest Grove. Offers family support, advocacy, and connection to local resources.
- Pacific University College of Health Professions Clinics — Pacific University operates training clinics in occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, vision, and psychology that serve community members on a sliding-scale or referral basis — a meaningful local resource for individuals with I/DD seeking specialized evaluations or therapies in Forest Grove.
- Disability Rights Oregon — Statewide protection and advocacy organization for Oregonians with disabilities. Provides legal advocacy, rights information, and assistance navigating service systems for Forest Grove residents.
Phone: 503-243-2081
About North Star Oregon
North Star Oregon was founded in the Willamette Valley and has grown into a statewide provider. Forest Grove sits at the western edge of Washington County and represents the kind of smaller, distinct community where our model — relationship-based attendant care, consistent staffing, and direct family communication — fits naturally. We bring the same approach here that has worked in Albany, Corvallis, and Salem: building services around the individual rather than around a facility, and keeping the same workers in place over time so families don't have to keep re-explaining themselves. Forest Grove is part of our continuing expansion into the Portland metro and the western Tualatin Valley, and we're committed to being a dependable option for families on this side of Washington County.
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@northstarcaresQuestions about services in Forest Grove?
A real person on our team will reply within one business day — no phone trees, no intake robots.