BEAVERTON, Ore. — Off Southwest Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, next to Goodwill, a former mattress store is now Washington County’s first permanent, year-round homeless shelter. This comes as cities across Oregon, including Beaverton, are grappling with a growing homeless crisis.
This new shelter can serve up to 60 people. It’s low-barrier however, drug use and weapons are not allowed. It cost about $13 million of federal and regional funding. Zero taxpayer dollars were used, Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty said.
The design is trauma-informed with murals and has plenty of communal spaces, a de-escalation room and a gated outdoor space. Pets are allowed, and there is storage, both important to homeless people. People can stay for as long as they want while they work with case managers towards housing.
Those behind the shelter looked to Multnomah County for guidance but also made it unique to Beaverton’s crisis, which Beaty said is different than what is seen on the streets of Portland.
“In our homeless population in Beaverton, we have the highest rate of teen homelessness in the state. Kids are couch-surfing. This particular issue, we have a lot of older men that are homeless in our community versus families," Beaty said during a tour of the shelter Friday morning.
"There’s hardly a day that we don’t talk about homelessness in the city of Beaverton and the Portland metro area, so addressing the number one concern was incredibly important to me,” she continued.
“They spoke a bit about the durability of this building allowing us to come in and support this building in energy efficiency, and renewable energy means that for the long term, they can save money and that money can then be spent on services for these guests,” said Shelly Carlton from Energy Trust.
Beaverton officials are working on a ‘Good Neighbor Agreement’ with the surrounding businesses and giving them access to the shelter operator when and if any problems come up. Beaverton police will also be patrolling the area.
The shelter opens on Monday, and people are expected to start moving in next month.