PORTLAND, Ore. — A new cold weather shelter has opened in North Portland's Arbor Lodge neighborhood. It will house up to 70 people at a time.
The shelter includes a larger indoor space with beds as well as tiny homes outside the main building. People will be able to shower, get a hot meal and use a clean bathroom.
The shelter is run by nonprofit Do Good Multnomah, and deputy director Daniel Hovanes said the organization could use help from the community including volunteers and donations.
"The kind of classics like socks, underwear, tooth brushes and hygiene products, a warm meal. We are looking to the neighborhoods to help provide those things too," Hovanes said.
There will be outreach teams going out into the community and speaking to people living on the streets about getting to the shelter. On brutally cold nights, there will also be free transportation offered to get to it. People can also dial 211 to get help.
"During the coldest nights of the year, when it's a severe weather status, we have a partnership with TriMet, and they will offer free service for anyone who needs to get to one of our cold weather shelters," Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury said.
67-year-old Eugene O'Keath has been living on the streets of Portland for more than three years. He's going to be moving to the shelter and said it will be a good bridge to get him off the streets for good.
"It's going to help me big time," O'Keath said. "I'm going to be able to make appointments I need to do. I got hit by a car and got my false teeth knocked out and I have not been able to get them fixed yet. These are things I need to do since I have a stable place to be."