Multnomah County is planning a four-day closure of the Behavioral Health Resource Center’s day center program beginning Monday, May 5, through Thursday, May 8, to support required certification training for staff. The day center will resume full operations Friday, May 9.
The closure will not affect the facility’s ongoing shelter and bridge housing programs operated by Do Good Multnomah.
The day center closure allows the Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon
staff who operate the program to earn the continuing education credits required they need to obtain or maintain their professional certification.
Staff have been notifying day center participants and other downtown day centers about the May closure, and are helping participants plan for how they can access alternative day spaces.
Since opening in December 2022, the Behavioral Health Resource Center’s day center has served as a resource for 8,170 people who are houseless and experiencing addiction or mental health challenges in downtown Portland.
Over 100 people every day receive services through a ticketed timed-entry system that admits four groups of 25 people for three-hour stays at the day center. While there, participants obtain basic services like a bathroom, showers, laundry, and phone charging and internet access, and they can be connected to behavioral health and housing resources, including the Do Good Multnomah shelter program operating upstairs.
Participants obtain their tickets from a referral van that the Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon operates daily in Old Town-Chinatown.
“We at MHAAO have seen firsthand how peer-informed, person-centered support changes lives, and this program exemplifies what it means to truly meet people where they are—with dignity, respect, and hope,” says Maranda Grimaldi, the Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon’s senior program and operations director at the Behavioral Health Resource Center.
“Closing for this four-day conference allows our staff to obtain the Continuing Education Units needed to stay current on their certifications, while also fostering relationships and building community — all for the good of those we serve.”
Do Good Multnomah operates a 30-day shelter program and a 90-day transitional bridge housing program on the two floors above the day center. Through this partnership, the Behavioral Health Resource Center has sheltered 710 people since opening.
Anthony Jordan, Interim Behavioral Health Director at Multnomah County, said “the BHRC continues to be a critical safety net for people experiencing houselessness in our community. It is a testament to strong partnerships and the value of collaboration across system partners. The teams working in the building and out on the streets are dedicated to making connections and creating relationships to support people finding help and hope.”
Check out these stories for a look at some people who have gone from life on the streets to stable housing and living arrangements with the help of people, programs, and services at Behavioral Health Resource Center:
‘The common goal is to help the community’
It starts here: a white van and a ticket to Behavioral Health Resource Center
Achieving a Behavioral Health Resource Center housing goal: ‘to have a place in 60 days’
Racheale’s Behavioral Health Resource Center experience: ‘It feels good to finally be soaring’
‘Back to this place where they had a positive experience’
Behavioral Health Resource Center by the numbers:
MHAAO Day Center: December 2022 - March 2025
- 89,366 total visits (includes multiple visits by same individuals)
- 11,640 referrals
- 59 showers per day
- 24 laundry loads per day
MHAAO Referral Van*: September 2023 - March 2025
- 260 average daily interactions
- 58% of those that access a ticket at the van show up for services at Day Center
MHAAO Outreach Team*: September 2023 - March 2025
- 3,713 total encounters
- 62% of those encountered in outreach are connected to BHRC or other community services
*Began operation in mid-September 2023
Do Good Multnomah Shelter & Bridge Housing: July 2023-March 2025
- 848 individuals served
- 49% had a positive exit
- 29% identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color
- 4% identify as transgender/non-binary
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