City of Portland Adds 132 New Shelter Units, Moving Toward Key Goal of City - County Homeless Response Plan

News Article

This month saw the expansion of the city's shelters at Multnomah and Reedway. Multnomah Safe Rest Village has added 72 tiny homes, bringing this shelter site to 100 shelter units, while Reedway Safe Rest Village is doubling in size from 60 to 120 shelter units.

September 27, 2024, 9:00 am

Contact:
Bryan Aptekar, Communications Supervisor
Shelter Services, City of Portland
[email protected]
(503) 865-6863

This month saw the expansion of the city's shelters at Multnomah and Reedway. Multnomah Safe Rest Village has added 72 tiny homes, bringing this shelter site to 100 shelter units, while Reedway Safe Rest Village is doubling in size from 60 to 120 shelter units. Spaces will be filled over the coming weeks, to allow staff and existing guests to adjust to the changes in their community.

The addition of these 132 sleeping units this month is a significant step toward our goal of providing more shelter beds for Portlanders. With this expansion, the City's shelter system now has 708 sleeping spaces (including tiny homes, RVs and some congregate shelter beds.)

"What's exciting about this expansion is not only that we can meet the needs of more people, but these are service-rich environments. These are not just places to sleep, these are places to heal, stabilize, and focus on personal goals. It's a chance," shared Brandy Westerman, the City's Emergency Humanitarian Operations Director. "As our program has grown, so has the ability of our service providers to adapt and craft the services and support that match each person's needs. That's why our program is succeeding and in such high demand."

The shelters in the City's system represent a partnership between the City of Portland and the County's Joint Office of Homeless Services.The County not only partners in managing Multnomah SRV, but also supports many of the non-profit service agencies that serve the various needs of those in all the City's shelters.

"Expanding capacity at both Multnomah and Reedway City Shelter Sites is a crucial step toward moving more individuals off the streets and onto the pathway to housing," said Mayor Ted Wheeler. "This expansion will give Portlanders the opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope."

"We're excited about the expansion of Reedway Safe Rest Village. We've had so many guests tell us that the Safe Rest Village was a perfect transition - a familiar but safer and more structured living environment where, with the support of their care coordinators, they can address the challenges and barriers that have been preventing them from reaching their full potential," said Kirkpatrick Tyler, Urban Alchemy's Chief of Community and Government Affairs. Urban Alchemy manages Reedway Safe Rest Village. "If you've been living on the streets for months or years, sometimes you need a place to process the trauma and get out of survival mode before living entirely on your own."

"I couldn't be more thrilled about the expansion of the Multnomah Safe Rest Village to 100 shelter units. This is an incredible opportunity to extend the reach of our mission - to partner with people to unlock a sustainable sense of home for every individual we serve," said Andy Goebel, CEO of Sunstone Way, which manages Multnomah Safe Rest Village. "Each new unit means more people will have a safe place to find rest and renewal, and our dedicated wrap-around support team is especially excited to have even more opportunities to partner with participants on their path toward hope and housing."

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Program Background:

The City's portfolio of shelters currently includes 1 RV Safe Park site, 1 congregate shelter, and 7 tiny pod shelters - all with basic hygiene and amenities, case management and individualized support for participants to stabilize and ultimately move to housing.With this expansion, the City's shelter system now has 708 sleeping units.

With the opening of the North Portland Road site later this fall, an additional 170 units will be added.

During the first 2 years of operation (July 2022 - June 2024), the City's Shelter program served 1800 people.Of those, 446 people moved to permanent housing, and of those more than half (256) had been chronically homeless. A person is considered chronically homeless if they have been in/out of homelessness over a period of two years or more and they have one or more disabilities.

Program websites:

Shelter Services homepage

Shelter Services Dashboard - with program outcomes

Media Resource Page for Shelter Services with images and b-roll