In December of 2006, Northwest Community Connections Inc. formed as a nonprofit organization and formally incorporated as a business in the state of Oregon. Shortly after incorporation, (once we realized our name was, well, just a tad too long) we chose the assumed business name of Independence Northwest, under which we now operate.

The idea for Independence Northwest came about through brainstorming amongst a small group of individuals with strong ties to local Portland metro area brokerages and the local disability community as a whole. We were aware that there would be a need for additional Support Services Brokerages and we decided to position ourselves to meet the challenge.

At the beginning of 2007, the State of Oregon Department of Human Services released a competitive RFP (request for proposal) for two Support Services Brokerages. We applied along with several other entities and were awarded the contract in April of 2007.

In October of 2007, our first customers enrolled into Independence Northwest's services. We started with just two Personal Agents, an Office Manager and a management team comprised entirely of former Personal Agents.

Today, we have eight Personal Agents on staff and in the fall of 2008 will bring on two additional PAs. Between now and June 2008, we will meet our capacity to serve 450 individuals with developmental disabilities across the tri-county region.

Our aim is to provide high quality service delivery, to expand the current resource base in our community and to ensure our customers are truly directing their services. We are very excited about the culture we, as an organization, have created and look forward to bringing a positive, responsible and productive set of services to our local community.