PORTLAND, Ore. — As Portland city leaders try to address the ongoing issue of homelessness, a hotel in Northeast Portland is being repurposed into a temporary shelter.
The Rockwood Bridge Motel Shelter is taking over the Super 8 Motel on 181st Avenue and East Burnside Street. The shelter will provide temporary housing for up to 40 people as they wait to transition into a permanent home. There will be 24-hour, on-site supportive services including behavioral health support.
Rockwood Bridge is set to start accepting temporary residents on March 1.
The project is a partnership between nonprofit All Good Northwest and Multnomah County's Joint Office of Homeless Services. The nonprofit, established in 2021, provides low-barrier shelter with case management support.
People involved in the project held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday morning to mark the opening of the shelter.
"It's really quite an amazing opportunity for folks to be sheltered, but also to learn how to be a good neighbor and what it means to have their own place with more facilities than they've probably had for quite some time," said Andy Goebel, the executive director of All Good Northwest.
Goebel said residents can stay at the shelter for as long as they need, as long as they are working toward a more permanent housing placement.
"The hope is that, quite frankly, they're not here for very long because they have the housing placement and we can then continue to wrap around them when they're in housing, continue to be a support network for them when they're in housing," Goebel said.
All Good Northwest operates three village model shelters including Portland's first Safe Rest Village, according to the nonprofit.