PORTLAND, Ore. — Four years ago, Multnomah County bought a former Rite Aid off North Lombard Street and Denver Avenue. It was briefly a severe weather shelter and a site for COVID-19 vaccination, with the goal of making it a long-term homeless shelter for up to 120 people. The county even held a grand opening for the shelter this past June.
However, as first reported by the Willamette Week, it's the end of September and still sits empty, having served no one since that summer celebration. On Monday, the county's website read: "Arbor Lodge Shelter is currently closed for renovations, and will be re-opened as a permanent shelter when renovation is complete (planned to re-open in Summer 2024)."
A spokesperson for Multnomah County said there have been "several road bumps" with construction leading to the delay, and that it is typical to hold a grand opening celebration at a site before it opens.
"It would have been clear to attendees at the event that more work needed to happen — for example, there still wasn't a front door at the time. There were unfortunately further delays after the grand opening event that have caused a later opening date than we’d hoped," the county spokesperson said.
"It's stupid. It's supposed to be a shelter for people, but there's nobody there," said Ralph, a homeless veteran who lives about a half-mile away from the empty shelter. "The lights come on once and a while, but that's about it."
"I want to be there. I want to go there," said Ralph's friend, Andrew, who said he was recently kicked out of the Sunderland RV Safe Park in Northeast Portland.
Once the renovations are complete at the North Lombard Street shelter, Do Good Multnomah will run it. A spokesperson for Do Good Multnomah told KGW there will be 24/7 services on-site, including housing navigation, case management and three meals a day. They are already building a list of who will stay in the shelter, with a focus on homeless people in the Arbor Lodge and Kenton neighborhoods.
Along with the congregate shelter, there are also 18 tiny homes reserved for women, veterans, and trans or non-binary individuals.
A county spokesperson told KGW that site construction is complete, and they are close to opening sometime in October. When a KGW crew was there Monday, there were still construction workers on site.
"We are working with the city of Portland inspectors to obtain a temporary certificate of occupancy, which will be the last step before shelter operator Do Good Multnomah is able to move into the site," the county spokesperson said. "After they move in, it will take Do Good Multnomah about 30 days to move into the site (which is the typical amount of time it takes for a shelter operator to move in) and after that, they will start welcoming guests."
However, the city of Portland told KGW that they are waiting on the county to schedule all of the requested inspections and provide them with more documents in order for the city to grant them the needed permit to run the shelter.
"Portland Permitting and Development has been very responsive in working with the county on this and other important facilities. The recent proposed deflection center in Southeast Portland is another example of the quick action we can provide when we have open communication and quick responses from the county," a city spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, neighbors in North Portland are losing patience with the ongoing delays.
"I think we need homeless shelters. We need to do something about the fact that there are encampments everywhere," said Jason, who's lived in North Portland for 10 years.
"It seems like if they wanted to expedite this, if it was really a priority for the city, they would expedite those kinds of permits or planned farther ahead not had a grand opening and done a head-fake on everybody," said Eric Marentette, who has lived across the street from the empty shelter for nearly five years. "I’m not quite sure how it's going to play out, so we’re a little nervous."