The St. Johns Day Center, expected to open in late 2024, will be located at 9000 N. Lombard St. in a vacant retail space that’s part of the Multnomah County North Portland Health Center.
It is among several investments approved last fall by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to create or expand day center services. Contracting and other planning work are also moving forward with Rose Haven, Blanchet House, New Avenues for Youth, the Marie Equi Institute, Operation Nightwatch, Transition Projects, Trash for Peace and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.
Several new programs are moving forward thanks to those allocations. Some examples:
- The Marie Equi Institute will be launching an LGBTQIA2S+ day center.
- Trash For Peace’s Ground Score Association has started offering daytime storage for people experiencing homelessness.
- Transition Projects will soon extend the hours of its Resource Center in Bud Clark Commons to include weekend and early evening hours, as well as increase staffing levels at the center. Additionally, the funding will support trauma-informed design adjustments and optimization of the center.
Local pastors reached out to raise need for day services in St. Johns
The St. Johns Day Center will not offer overnight shelter, but it will serve as a centralized location for community members to get out of the weather and access a variety of services — including referrals to shelter and housing — in a safe, trauma-informed environment.
The St. Johns Day Center responds directly to needs outlined by St. Johns residents and the local business community who had asked for additional support for people experiencing homelessness in their community.
County leaders began scoping the site after local pastors expressed the need for a day center after the loss of a previous privately run space in the neighborhood business district — a place for people experiencing homelessness to attend recovery meetings, receive services, or just sit down for a cup of coffee during the day.
"For years we have dreamed about having a place where people can get warm, wash their clothes, and connect with needed resources in our community. It is easy for most of us to take simple services like hot coffee, a shower, and clean clothes for granted, I really believe a day center like this has the power to restore dignity and give people hope for a better tomorrow,” said Josh Hawk, pastor at St. Johns Church and a longtime community member.
“I am excited about the potential of what this center could produce in our community and am looking forward to partnering with Do Good and our County in offering real solutions to real people’s needs.”
Services at the day center will include:
- Case management from peer providers who can connect clients with longer-term services. That could include helping clients obtain necessary documents for housing, healthcare, providing referrals to community partners and behavioral health support services, connecting clients with government benefits, and more.
- Housing navigation assistance, including identifying and eliminating barriers to housing, assistance with applications and fees, and other support services.
- Hygiene services, including laundry and showers, with access to travel-size toiletries as available.
- Limited meals offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, in addition to pantry items and hot and cold beverages.
- Mailing address services. People will be able to sign up to have mail delivered to the day center; not having a stable mailing address can be a key barrier to people seeking housing.
“Typically, the path to permanent housing begins when someone enters a 24/7 shelter. But the St. Johns Day Center will offer a new kind of care for the unhoused residents of North Portland — one that brings support to individuals at an earlier stage of the housing journey, all while providing the basic needs of food and hygiene,” said Daniel Hovanas, Chief Executive Officer of Do Good Multnomah. “Do Good is very excited to collaborate with Multnomah County and the neighbors and business owners in St. Johns to care for these members of our community.”
Engagement plans include a Good Neighbor Agreement
"I am grateful to former Commissioner Jayapal for starting the conversation with the St. Johns community about the location and for securing funding to make this center happen. We all want the best for ourselves, our families and our neighbors. But not having a roof over your head, an address or a place to shower would make it hard for any of us to get there,” said Commissioner Jesse Beason. “Until we have a safe, decent home for everyone, the day center is an important place where people can grab a cup of coffee, connect with a case manager, do some laundry and make plans for their future."
Multnomah County, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and Do Good Multnomah have been engaging the local community through the St. Johns Neighborhood Association, the St. Johns Boosters and Venture Portland.
On Monday, Feb. 12, Do Good Multnomah and the Joint Office, represented by the department’s new community engagement coordinator, shared details and answered questions about the project at a St. Johns Neighborhood Association general meeting. Previously, Do Good Multnomah met with the St. Johns Boosters and the St. Johns Neighborhood Association’s Board members. The Joint Office is ramping up community engagement in the area, including a commitment to creating a Good Neighbor Agreement, helping ensure the center is an asset to the St. Johns neighborhood.
“I’m proud we responded to this call from the local faith community to create a new daytime space where people without shelter can come inside, find some respite and ultimately get connected to the services that will end their homelessness,” said Joint Office director Dan Field. “And because we're making good use of our Supportive Housing Services funds, we'll be able to expand day services not just in St. Johns but in other parts of the community, too. We need to grow every kind of solution this crisis demands.”
Part of a strategy to use Supportive Housing Services funds to fill immediate gaps
Funds for the day center are part of a package of allocations approved by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in September 2023. The Board voted to allocate unanticipated revenue from the Metro Supportive Housing Services Measure for a range of services and programs, including added shelter capacity, more recovery housing, and new sobriety and stabilization services.
Commissioners, when voting, also prioritized expanding day services because of increased demand on existing day centers — and in anticipation of planned enforcement of the City of Portland’s camping regulations that were amended in 2023 before being placed on hold by the courts.
Multnomah County, through the Joint Office of Homeless Services, will invest about $500,000 in capital expenses and about $290,000 for services and operations, part of the $3.3 million allocation for expanded day services approved in September 2023.
