Photo: Ford, Brad
Mayor Wheeler is pleased to announce the newest City of Portland Temporary Alternative Shelter Site (TASS) will be located at 10505 N. Portland Road. This site will primarily station RVs and campers, with tents and pods also available. With an agreement finalized, the City is setting a goal of opening this location within the coming months. Urban Alchemy, who currently manages three city-sanctioned shelter sites, will be the site provider.
“Our initial site, which opened at the end of July, has proven to be a successful proof of concept and has reached capacity,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler. “The need in our community far exceeds available resources and I look forward to opening this next site as quickly as we can to help get vulnerable Portlanders off the streets. Just in the last four months, the City of Portland has collectively opened four shelter sites between Safe Rest Villages and TASS, expanding the shelter continuum by well over 400 spaces.”
This location is owned by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services. The Mayor’s office has initiated meetings with local stakeholders near the site, including the St. John’s Neighborhood Association. Similar to the rollout of the initial Clinton Triangle TASS, the team will work closely with designated community members to ensure there is a strong channel for communication between the city, neighborhood, and the service provider. Together, all parties will work to facilitate a Good Neighbor Agreement and a neighborhood advisory team.
A tour of the site for media and community members will be offered once development progresses.
Portland's Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites provide a compassionate service model that is informed by those with lived experience, including a safe, secure, and hygienic place for residents to meaningfully connect with services to access housing, mental health support, substance use disorder treatment and other critical resources provided by non-profit and regional partners. You can learn more about the TASS program here: Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites | Portland.gov
Update on Temporary Alternative Shelter Site: Clinton Triangle:
- The first Temporary Alternative Shelter Site opened on July 25, 2023, and there are currently 180 guests staying at the site.
- A good neighbor agreement was reached between the Mayor’s Office, the Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Association, the Brooklyn Neighborhood, and nearby business organizations which can be accessed here. Members of these groups meet regularly as part of an advisory group to share feedback and data concerning the Clinton Triangle Site. Representative of Oregon State District 42, Rob Nosse, has also agreed to participate in this advisory group.
- Portland's Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites serve as a bridge to more permanent options, preparing unsheltered Portlanders for safe affordable housing while also providing them with critical access to services. Urban Alchemy, working with the City’s new outreach coordinator, has helped 40 guests get their paperwork ready for housing navigators. We are eager to use the 187 housing vouchers from the Governor’s Oregon All In funds for guests living at either Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites and Safe Rest Villages, as well as the 89 supplemental vouchers funded by SHS dollars after the Governor removed them from Multnomah County. The housing navigation and placement is being managed by the Joint Office of Homeless Services through contracted providers.
Source: Portland Mayor's Office