By Francesca “Frankie” Silverstein
On Monday, January 5, a new overnight shelter opened at 614 SE Grand Ave. Located in what was previously a US Bank building, the shelter is the product of a partnership between the City of Portland and Transition Projects, a nonprofit offering housing and resources to homeless Portlanders.
Mayor Keith Wilson announced the project in October, and development quickly began. While the City took care of things such as maintenance issues, Transition Projects worked behind the scenes. “Once a location was identified, we were…already working on a budget and what [the shelter] might look like,” recalls Vice President of Shelter Services for Transition Projects Nicky Ferguson. Transition Projects gained access to the building December 19 and sprang into action. They set up beds—hosting a “bunk bed building party”—and created a space for residents to enjoy snacks at tables.
Services are offered between 9 pm and 7 am, with participants allowed to start lining up at 8:30 pm. The beds are currently only on the first floor as the second floor needs some additional maintenance. This means capacity is limited, with about 86 beds available for the time being.
The shelter will eventually offer 140 beds, which can expand to 200 in the case of severe weather. Beds are available to adult individuals of all genders as long as they are substance free. This is part of the shelter’s initiative to be “recovery-oriented.” Ferguson explains, “There’s a community of people that want to be around other people that aren’t under the influence, and it might mean that they want to take steps in recovery, or it might just mean they want to be around others that are not under the influence.”
Although there is no drug testing, staff do look for behaviors such as stumbling or smelling like alcohol. Individuals exhibiting these behaviors will be asked to leave and provided with resources about other shelter options. That being said, part of the recovery ideology is that “every day is a new day,” says Ferguson. There is no strike system at the SE Grand Recovery Center, and residents are always welcome back once they follow the substance policy.
Residents are also welcome to return night after night. In fact, they are encouraged to do so. Storage is provided under each bed so that people can leave their belongings during the day. “If people wanted to seek treatment, or they wanted more recovery help, or wanted to attend a meeting, or wanted to go look for work, it’s really hard to do those things when you’re lugging all of your stuff around,” elaborates Ferguson.
Another notable aspect of the shelter is the fact that it allows pets. In addition, while it does not offer showers or case management, the staff are always working to provide people with information about locations where that is available. For interested parties, there is a shuttle bus that stops at the shelter to take people to access these resources.
This shuttle bus is one example of efforts to combat community concerns about the shelter. Beyond the shuttle bus, the City established a 1,000 foot engagement zone around the shelter. This area is prioritized in response to unsanctioned campsites and trash. There will also be representatives from the City and the nonprofit Urban Alchemy walking the zone in the morning and the evening, providing information about available resources.
For the most part, Buckman residents are cautiously optimistic. “I think people are really behind people having a safe and warm space to sleep in,” comments Co-Chair of the Buckman Community Association (BCA) Susan Lindsay. The main controversy comes not from the shelter itself but the process through which it was established. Many Buckman residents wish the City had been more communicative prior to making decisions.
Co-Chair of the BCA and Quality Assurance Supervisor at Transition Projects Jens Knudsen recalls only being informed of the project once the site was determined and Transition Projects was set to run it. He states, “It’s another site to serve the homeless being imposed on the neighborhood without any sort of contact with the neighborhood association. It would have been nice to be involved in [the] process.” Lindsay also expressed that she wished the City had included residents in the planning stages. In contrast, Ferguson spoke highly of the City’s communication, remarking, “They’re super supportive anytime that I have a problem. They’re always very collaborative and very supportive and very willing to try to find solutions.” The City did not respond to requests for comment.
A line of communication between Transition Projects and the BCA has been established, with members touring the site and a Transition Projects representative attending a community meeting to answer questions. As Lindsay puts it, “We’ve built this relationship with [Ferguson] now so if there are issues we’ll be able to reach out to her and talk about it.” She continues, “I request that the City stay engaged—I know it has a lot on its hands but please stay engaged with the neighborhoods so that these programs are successful.”
So far, the SE Grand Recovery Shelter has been successful, with 55 residents already in the system. This number is only expected to go up. Yet everyone involved recognizes that there is more to be done, whether that’s adding more beds or addressing the root causes of homelessness. Ferguson offers a powerful reminder of why this continued effort matters. “Allowing this shelter to be here is changing lives. I was a person that experienced homelessness. I do not experience homelessness anymore, but…it was people like the people in this neighborhood that made it possible for me to take the steps I needed to take to be successful.”
Beds at the SE Grand Recovery Shelter. Photo by Clifton Roberts.
