In yet another step toward providing more services and safer places to sleep for people experiencing homelessness, the Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, Dec. 19, approved funding for the construction of a new tiny home village shelter in Southeast Portland.
The planned 38-unit shelter, called the Harrison Community Village, will add to the City of Portland and Multnomah County’s current portfolio of 2,934 shelter beds. That’s in addition to 200 overnight winter shelter beds that were announced on Dec. 19 by the City of Portland and Multnomah County.
It also joins two other Joint Office of Homeless Services shelter projects actively in development: the nearby 29-unit Oak Street Village, which is under construction and on schedule to open in early 2025; and the East County Homelessness Resource Center in Gresham, which will add 28 units of village-style shelter as well as a day services center when it opens in late 2025.
Those shelters will build upon the 17 year-round shelters opened by Multnomah County since 2020. That’s in addition to the nine shelters opened by the City of Portland in that same timeframe.
“Too many of our neighbors are forced to sleep outside with no access to shelter,” said Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. “That’s why I’ve made expanding the number of shelters in Multnomah County one of my top priorities while we also expand permanent housing opportunities. The combination of more shelter and more housing will ensure more people in our community have a safe place to sleep, along with wraparound services that help them achieve long-term stability.”
The new village shelter will open at the site of a former RV dealership at 1818 S.E. 82nd Ave. The County purchased the property in 2022.
Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards, who has advocated steadily for more shelter options and for the County being a good neighbor when siting facilities, proposed an amendment that would require the County to have a signed Good Neighbor Agreement with neighbors and businesses in place before the shelter opens. Her amendment, which passed unanimously, also requires the County to work with the City of Portland and Portland Public Schools on a safe routes to school plan to address concerns from the surrounding school community.
“If you’re on the Eastside of Portland — and I’ve lived within a mile of 82nd Avenue for 50 years — you often feel things are going to happen to you and you don’t have a lot to say,’’ Commissioner Brim-Edwards said. “I hope the amendments provide a way for the community, both the school community, the parents and the neighbors to have that engagement that answers their questions and addresses many of their very legitimate concerns.’’
The Joint Office of Homeless Services has begun engaging the community near the site. In December 2024, the Joint Office distributed an informational mailer to neighbors and hosted the first public community event focused on the design of the shelter location.
The Joint Office has not yet selected a service provider for the project, but once it has, it will formally launch a Good Neighbor Agreement process.
The shelter’s 38 units will serve up to 45 adults at a time. In addition to the sleeping units, the village will also have office spaces for staff providing wraparound services, as well as bathrooms and showers, kitchenette amenities, and laundry facilities.
Outdoor spaces will include a green space and a covered outdoor community area. The site will be fenced with privacy inserts on all street sides.
The Board approved $4.1 million in construction funding for the project, funded by the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services Measure. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2025.
The new shelter aligns with the Homelessness Response System, the Homelessness Response Action Plan and the two-year Community Sheltering Strategy. The sheltering strategy, finalized in early 2024, was developed in partnership with Multnomah County, the City of Portland, the City of Gresham and service providers. The central goal of the plan is to create 1,000 more shelter units in Multnomah County by Dec. 31, 2025.
The sheltering strategy also outlines plans to expand shelter across different models, including traditional congregate shelters, village-style shelters and motel shelters. Because shelter is not one-size-fits all, no single model will work for every person experiencing homelessness. The goal is to offer different types of shelter so that every person experiencing homelessness can find one that will meet their needs.
More information can be found at the project website.
Presentation slides can be found here. Watch the video of the board meeting here.
