Safe Rest Pods on SW 17th Avenue will Provide Life-Saving Temporary Shelter

The City of Hillsboro, Washington County, and OpenDoor Housing Works are acting quickly to provide unhoused community members with emergency shelter - and mitigate unmanaged camping - by creating a temporary shelter site at the corner of SW 17th Avenue and TV Highway. The launch of this project is pending establishment of an intergovernmental agreement with Washington County.

Aprende más sobre las Safe Rest Pods (Cápsulas de Descanso Seguro) en español.

With an expected timeline of September 2022 through March 2023, the Safe Rest Pods on SW 17th Avenue will provide safe sleeping spaces and support services for 30 to 40 unhoused individuals or couples. Placement will be determined by direct referral through Community Connect, with the initial priority for people currently camping in the Dairy Creek area.

"We are moving fast to lessen the hardship for persons living outside and respond to community concerns," said City of Hillsboro Community Services Coordinator Mandy Gawf. "The Safe Rest Pods on SW 17th Avenue will provide a safe sleeping place, meet basic needs, and help people get started on longer-term housing plans."

"Washington County has a long-term goal of 250 year-round shelter beds across Washington County," said Washington County Supportive Housing Services Manager Jes Larson. "While we work together to stand up a year-round shelter in Hillsboro, this temporary solution provides life-saving shelter to our most vulnerable community members."

"Our organization has taken a boots on the ground approach to supporting our most vulnerable community members with outreach workers, housing case managers, an active day center, winter shelter operations, and now operations for the Safe Rest Pods," said OpenDoor Housing Works Director Jeremy Toevs. "We see the need every day and know that this is going to make a huge difference in the lives of many of the people we support."

Operations and Funding

Washington County is funding operations and supplies, purchasing and building of the Safe Rest Pods, and 24/7 operations and wrap-around support services through OpenDoor Housing Works. The County is also supporting coordination and communications.

The City of Hillsboro is supporting coordination and communications, funding site preparation, and providing the property, which is slated to become home to a year-round shelter in the future.

"Working with community partners allows us to pursue holistic, collaborative, and proactive solutions to benefit our community now and in the future," said Larson.

Neighborhood Support

The partners will provide additional support to the neighborhood surrounding the Safe Rest Pods, including:

• All parking for staff and participants will be onsite.
• OpenDoor staff trained in trauma-informed care and safety will be onsite 24/7. Additional homelessness outreach workers will support the neighborhood and OpenDoor.
• Safe Rest Pods participants will agree to OpenDoor's Code of Conduct agreement, curfew, and quiet hours.
• Community members can contact OpenDoor through a 24-hour phone line for issues related to the shelter.
• The Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department and the Hillsboro Police Department have partnered to increased patrols in Dairy Creek Park, and bicycle patrols will operate in the area.
• The City's Outdoor Cleanup through Supportive Employment Project will remove debris in the neighborhood before and during site operation.

Services

Temporary Safe Rest Pods will be constructed in the form of Conestoga Huts. They feature:

• 60 square feet of living space & 20 square feet of porch space
• Lockable door and window
• Insulated floor, walls, and roof
• Portable design that can be built, taken down, and rebuilt

The temporary site will offer:

• Mental health, housing navigation, and employment support
• Portable restrooms, handwashing & showers
• Drinking water
• Trash disposal
• Mobile office
• Internet access
• Smoking and support animal relief areas
• Gathering tent

Informing a Future Year-Round Shelter

The currently vacant property is owned by the City and will become the site of a Year-Round Shelter with operations funded by the regional Supportive Housing Services measure as part of Washington County's goal to reach 250 year-round shelter beds across the County.

"The property was purchased with the intention of serving our houseless community members in the future," Gawf said. "This temporary use will help us meet that need even sooner without impacting the timing of our Year-Round Shelter Project."

Input from guests and neighbors of the Safe Rest Pods will help inform the future Year-Round Shelter Project and its Good Neighbor Agreement. The City is also inviting all community members to share feedback on Engage Hillsboro.

Learn More

Visit our Homelessness Initiatives webpage to learn more about how the City is collaborating with partners to pursue solutions and sign up for monthly email updates to stay informed on this and other projects. For questions, please email City of Hillsboro Community Services Manager Mandy Gawf.

Visit Washington County's website to learn more about the County's implementation of the regional Supportive Housing Services measure providing crucial funding for interim and long-term shelter operations.

Find Resources

If you are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness and in need of housing resources, contact Community Connect at 503-640-3263 or email [email protected].

(Images of Conestoga Huts were provided by Community Supported Shelters.)

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