How will the Safe Rest Village Program impact homeowners?
I recently learned about a proposed homeless village site in Southwest Portland in Multnomah Village. This program is being managed through Multnomah County to provide outdoor living structures for those who have no housing.
As part of the Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program, the Joint Office of Homeless Services Commissioner Dan Ryan is working with the Safe Rest Village team to construct three different site locations in the Multnomah County area.
According to the Portland.gov website, several sites have already been considered and rejected. Three different locations are initially approved for the new homeless villages. Multnomah Village is one of three proposed sites on the Southwest side of town. The other two are on SW Naito Parkway and the Menlo Park area. The County is looking at the Sears Armory Parking lot on SW Multnomah Blvd., as below:
SW Portland - Sears Armory Parking Lot. Address / Land Owner: 2731 SW Multnomah Blvd (a portion of the parking lot) This is a large, paved site, with several of other emergency management uses, including current uses by Portland Water Bureau, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Portland Bureau of Emergency Management. This site has enough space to ensure we can build a Safe Rest Village to serve many pods, as well as site amenities like common areas, shared restroom, kitchen, laundry, and shower facilities, etc. No more than 60 pods will be accommodated at this site. Transit access (Bus # 12 on Barbur) ~Portland.gov
This is a map of the proposed area:
The aim is to provide single pods to house the homeless, along with a hygiene area, community space, and access to social services. These Safe Rest Villages are strategically located within walking distance to public transportation.
According to Portland.gov, the program will reach out to provide community engagement with neighboring homes, including general engagement and education to the community, and more targeted and specific outreach to areas surrounding the new homeless space.
Currently, the program is in the construction management phase, which includes: "securing contractors, vendors, navigating the procurement process, and identifying the permitting needs for potential sites."
If you are interested in knowing more about this program, you can visit: https://www.portland.gov/ryan/safe-rest-villages
If you would like to communicate with the program, you may email them at: saferestvillages@portlandoregon.gov