PORTLAND, Ore. — Construction crews poured a concrete foundation and put the finishing touches on a lot off Southeast Gideon Street and 13th Place in Southeast Portland Monday morning. It’s soon to be the city’s first large-scale temporary camping site for homeless Portlanders.
The site is distinct from the city’s Safe Rest Villages, which are smaller and have already popped up in neighborhoods throughout Portland.
Mayor Ted Wheeler welcomed a large crowd Monday to what he's calling the first of six "Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites." Portland City Council approved the concept in November after weeks of heated public testimony. Some argue it’s the largest effort yet to address homelessness in Portland.
“I am confident that these temporary sites will save lives,” said Wheeler.
The site is made up of 70 shelter pods, along with space for tents. The goal is to house roughly 200 homeless people for about three to six months before they move into permanent housing, with the understanding that the waitlist for affordable housing may be much longer than that.
“If you’ve spent time in our city, you’ve seen firsthand why this bold new approach is desperately needed,” Wheeler said.
“What’s going to happen here is that our vulnerable neighbors out on the street … will be able to come in and have a safe place to sleep,” said Kirkpatrick Tyler, chief of government and community affairs at Urban Alchemy. That's the California-based group Portland hired to run the site. Much of Urban Alchemy's staff has lived experience with homelessness.
“This is just the beginning. We can’t give up now,” Tyler added.
Across the nearby train tracks, Jay Graham lives in a makeshift plywood pod of his own.
“I noticed there’s a camp going up next door,” Graham said.
He’s been homeless for 10 years and watched the site develop over the past few months.
“I noticed that they’re starting construction because I was right next door … I was curious," he said. "And as it took shape, I saw tiny homes and now I’m even more curious.”
For Jay to get into the site, he must be referred by a city outreach team.
“I can see where to go. I just don’t know how to get in,” he said.
“'Housing first' never means housing only. It means housing now with services too,” explained Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
The idea is that site staff will connect homeless people with case workers and provide basic needs such as food, laundry and electricity.
The county has invested $4.6 million into the site. Mayor Wheeler is looking to open five more.
“So, we do have funding for the first three sites. As many of our colleagues in the legislature have asked, they want proof of concept — they want us to prove that we can make it work. I am 100% confident that we will and that will make it easier for us to get funding for the remaining sites,” Wheeler said.
The mayor is expected to announce the locations of the next two sites soon. As for the Gideon Street location, homeless people will start moving in at the end of July.