PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland is preparing to expand its Safe Rest Village for homeless people near the southwest Multnomah Village neighborhood, but nearby residents expressed concern about the idea and said thing have been difficult since the village first opened near them in early 2022.
"There's a lot of noise every night. I'm woken every night of the week," said Monica, who lives right next door to the village.
Monica also runs a dog training and daycare business in the neighborhood, and she described the area as quiet and peaceful before the village opened. But with the village fence running right up against her bedroom window, she said things quickly changed.
"I went from having a quiet, peaceful home — a place where I always felt comfortable, relaxed and safe — to always kind of being on edge," she said.
The expansion is set to happen in the coming months. Details are still limited, but the Multnomah Village site is currently the smallest of the city's seven Safe Rest Villages, with only 30 sleeping units instead of the 60 found at most others. A spokesperson for the city's Safe Rest Village Team said the program helps people address barriers and move into permanent housing.
"It's been going pretty well at first; I'd say we were cautiously optimistic-pessimistic," said Peter Neel, who lives down the street from Monica.
He added that he's less concerned with the site itself and more with what he said has been a lack of communication from the city.
"Communication seems to be a one-way street," he said. "No one's ever spoken to me from the city," he said.
The city has not yet signed a promised "Good Neighbor Agreement" for the site, but officials said before the expansion takes place, they "want to work with the immediate community to hear from them about ways to make this expansion a success." City staff will hold a listening session with neighbors later this month.
"I'm not surprised communication hasn't gone well all along," Monica said. "I’m really hoping now that it's expanding, things will be better."
"I understand the problem needs to be addressed and solutions are going to be tough to come by, so something has to happen," added Neel.
Here’s the latest Safe Rest Village data from the city from July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023:
- Total people served: 572
- Number of exits: 237
- Permanent Housing: 77
- Homelessness: 34
- Temporary Housing: 18
- Institutional Settings: 17
- Shelters: 10
- Other: 81