PORTLAND, Ore. — The city of Portland's first shelter site for homeless people living in vehicles is shutting down less than two years after opening, leaving its current residents wondering where they'll end up next.
A gated lot off Northeast Sunderland Avenue and 33rd Drive in Portland once gave hope to homeless women like Michelle. She said she no longer had to worry about her safety — unlike when she was living out on the streets of the city.
Michelle is a full-time student and spent the last decade homeless. Things were changing for the better when she moved into the Sunderland RV Safe Park, a city-led effort to provide a place for those living in vehicles to stay.
"Well, I've been able to focus on my schoolwork and got myself up to an A-student now," she said.
But earlier this month, the city of Portland announced that the Sunderland site will close this coming spring. About 70 people currently stay there.
"It's like a time bomb just ticking in the back of our minds," Michelle said of the impending closure.
According to the city of Portland's website, the Salvation Army, which operates the site, will stop accepting new residents by the end of December. The park will officially close March 31.
"I think it's bulls***. I think it's not really helping nobody," said Andrew, a homeless man living in Northeast Portland.
The RV park opened in July 2023 after months of delays. It was the first city-run shelter for people with vehicles in Portland, and even after it opened, it took some time for it to start operating at full capacity.
Before that effort began, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) used the lot for maintenance operations. They moved their equipment to another site in order to accommodate the shelter.
But now, it seems, the permit for PBOT's second location is up, and they need to move back to the Sunderland site — uprooting the RV Safe Park.
"I don't understand why they can't find another parking lot to put your trucks versus putting people out on the street," said Michelle.
Suzanne Rollins, who lives across the street from the site, said she's dealt with growing homeless camps outside her home ever since the Sunderland site opened.
"I have to be very honest: I'm kind of glad all these people parking down here and parking over here are moving," she said. "I'm just wondering what's going to happen next."
Steve, who has been living at the Sunderland site for three months, said he was told that if he wanted to get into transitional housing — like a tiny home at one of the city's other sites — he would need to leave his vehicle and belongings behind.
"They're going to be confiscating everything I've got, everything I own ... and I get nothing in return," Steve said. "No, I'm not going to do that."
The city of Portland said it is working with Multnomah County leading up to the site closure with the goal that no one ends up back on the streets. A spokesperson for the Salvation Army told KGW in a statement that they are committed to assisting people in houseless situations as funds are made available.
"They're hoping they can help, but right now, they got no promises," Steve said.
Even though Rollins is glad that the people camped on her street may be moving on, she's left perplexed at the RV Safe Park's short lifespan.
"Seems to me a big waste of money for the city and a big lack of understanding between different parts of the city government," she said, "and we could use somebody with a little better knowledge about managing things, but we'll see! Ever hopeful!"
Portland recently unveiled a new RV shelter site off North Portland Road in the St. Johns area, but it's not clear that it will have any capacity for people now forced to leave the Sunderland site.