By Ellen Spitaleri
There is hope for Portland’s unhoused adult population now that Urban Alchemy has been tapped to be part of one of the largest shelter expansions in the history of Multnomah County, said Kaesha Green, director of Wellness Villages. Urban Alchemy’s Wellness Villages program will focus on “providing shelter, services and support for unhoused residents, and supporting the improvement of communities surrounding the Tiny Homes Village sites,” she added.
Urban Alchemy is an organization dedicated to solving two problems—people falling through the social safety-net, and the resulting turmoil that creates in public places. It uses a new, integrated approach to the issues of homelessness, rising crime and challenging street conditions, and focuses on being a conduit for healing, recovery and renewal.
In Portland, Urban Alchemy staff, called practitioners, will work to support the city’s ultimate goal of getting everyone off the streets and into safer shelters, where they can be connected to the resources they need to move into permanent housing.
Urban Alchemy was founded in 2018 in San Francisco and Los Angeles with the mission to create career pathways for returning previously incarcerated citizens. At first, the organization provided street cleaning, public restroom monitoring and activation of public spaces. Urban Alchemy now has a staff of more than 1,300, and has expanded into Oregon, Texas and Alabama.
Urban Alchemy “heals neighborhoods by employing the unique talents of returning citizens to transform communities and urban spaces. Using methods rooted in love, respect and science, it has achieved remarkable success,” Green said.
The organization will focus on two Temporary Alternative Shelter (TASS) sites in SE Portland—Clinton Triangle, at 1490 SE Gideon St., and Reedway, at 10550 SE Reedway St. They will also work with a third site in N Portland. The Wellness Villages are located inside each site, are fenced off and have community space for activities.
“Our work fits with Portland’s TASS sites by providing a unique approach to community wellness and stability,” Green said. She added Urban Alchemy prioritizes “creating a sense of safety, health and dignity for residents, which aligns with the city’s goal of offering transitional support and holistic services to unhoused neighbors.”
The Wellness Village model differs from a regular shelter in that there are more wellness-focused activities and communal spaces, like the coffee bar where people can learn to make their own coffees and also spend time talking to practitioners about sobriety. “It is different from a simpler tent or tiny home village because it also focuses on holistic care,” Green said, adding that the Wellness Village areas are “purposefully separated to make sobriety more approachable and accessible.”
Residents also have access to services that will help them on their personal journeys, Green said, including addiction and domestic abuse counseling, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and activities and programs specifically designed for those who want to get sober. “We’re also constantly looking for new services that meet guests’ needs based on their requests and feedback. Our employees bring lived experience, empathy and encouragement to empower our guests, creating an environment where sobriety feels achievable and sustainable,” Green noted.
The Wellness Village program is funded through contracts with the City of Portland, which also pays for staff, counselors and other team members, Green said.
“We also maintain strong relationships with trusted organizations that provide services at the Wellness Villages,” she said, including Central City Concern, Recovery Works NW, Care Oregon, Volunteers of America and more. Because the sites are like an apartment complex or a college dorm setting, Urban Alchemy does not provide security.
“Instead, our team of practitioners works 24/7 to support guests and maintain a calm, safe environment,” Green said. “They are extensively trained in de-escalation methods and conflict resolution. If any situation escalates to a threat, we contact the Portland Police Department.”
Individuals can enter the Wellness Village program in one of two ways. The first pathway is through a city outreach worker. “Unhoused individuals are connected with these workers, who assess their needs and match them with appropriate resources. From there, if there is capacity at the Wellness Village, they may transition into this program as part of their journey toward stability and sobriety,” Green said.
The second pathway involves partnerships with other sobriety-focused organizations, and individuals engaged with these organizations may be referred to the Wellness Village. The organizations work collaboratively with the city to coordinate placements, ensuring that individuals receive the support they need in a structured and intentional manner.
Four key benefits set the Wellness Village program apart from other shelters. First, the low-barrier shelters make them accessible to people with disabilities, substance-use issues and criminal records. They also welcome pets and couples. Second, staff are trained to respond to trauma-related symptoms, creating a sense of trust. Third, the focus of the village setting is to promote enhanced mental and physical health, while offering counseling, group therapy and medication management. Finally, this model incorporates programs to help individuals develop life skills, such as budgeting, job training and independent living.
The Wellness Village program works due to Urban Alchemy’s highly trained practitioners, 96 percent of whom have lived experience with homelessness, addiction and/or incarceration, Green said. “Their unique backgrounds allow them to connect deeply with residents, offering empathy, understanding and practical support.”
Statistics show that the model works, Green said, noting that since the first village opened in 2023 in Culver City, CA, the site has served 80 people, and 42 have since moved on to more permanent housing. For more information about Urban Alchemy, visit urban-alchemy.us.
Pictured at the Clinton Triangle Wellness Village are James Easley, an Urban Alchemy lead practitioner, Ralph Terry and Miranda Laks, care coordinators, and Dennis Waters, practitioner. They support guests and help them work toward sobriety. Photo courtesy of Urban Alchemy.
basic money making b.s. The facts are this, what started out in 2018 was a program to rescue the homeless by giving them shelter, a safe place to be and some rest from the cold streets at, this is why they were called safe shelters, everyone that stayed there was treated with some dignity
What’s happened since is safe shelters have become programs, programs where in order to get any sort of help, dignity, respect, or a stable place to stay is to actually sign agreements to participate, upon refusal to sign this contract the residents are harassed, bullied and threatened to lose their safe shelter, also uncontrolled residents are refused meal after 10pm, even if the food they have purchased themseves, they are forced to put they’re own food into a kitchen refrigerator, then denied access to it.
on the other hand the few people who do agree to these so called contracts, use new clean bathrooms and showers, enjoy their food from a brand new fully stocked kitchen, are placed above other guest, referred as better than others, uncontracted residents are not even allowed to speak to speak to the contracted. the contracted are housed behind a privacy fence in order to keep the so called drug abusers and the mentally ill out
All this is , is Urban Alchemy cashing in on additional funding from government,
The city of Portland has other safe shelters for homeless people not run by Urban Alchemy. The new mayor of Portland should refuse Urban Alechemys contract and use these safe shelters as they were meant to be, a place of safety, shelter, and helping those with the greatest need