Monday, November 18, Washington County, Metro and other project partners celebrated the opening of The Beaverton Shelter. It is the county’s first homeless shelter that will be open to guests 24 hours a day, all year long, and can accommodate 60 people at a time.
The new shelter was made possible in part with $4.8 million from Metro’s supportive housing services fund. The fund will also provide $1.2 million per year for services, including housing navigation so guests can transition into stable housing. Local nonprofit Open Door HousingWorks — which has 40 years of experience providing services in Washington County — will operate the shelter.
The Beaverton Shelter features trauma-informed design throughout, with gentle lighting, soft colors, and use of natural wood finishes. A mural by Damon Smyth welcomes visitors with an uplifting scene, while a young Norfolk Island pine stands in a sun-filled spot in the center of the lobby. The shelter was designed by Portland-based Ink:Built Design, which also renovated what is now Washington County’s permanent supportive housing community Heartwood Commons, in Aloha.
Multiple indoor and outdoor seating areas provide places to rest and relax during the day, with a dedicated dog run on the back patio. Each guest will sleep in a private area partitioned within a larger room, with separate rooms for female- and male-identified people. The shelter also has a kitchen, offices to meet with case workers and other support staff, and a sensory overload room for decompressing.
“Thanks to voters, we are taking a regional approach to homelessness by bringing services to communities where people are struggling,” said Metro Council President Lynn Peterson in advance of the event. “The Beaverton Shelter will be a critical resource for this part of the region as we work toward ensuring that homelessness is rare, brief and nonrecurring.”
Governor Tina Kotek made a surprise appearance at the celebration, offering some remarks on progress made in addressing the homelessness crisis statewide. “I am constantly inspired by the sense of urgency that local communities are bringing to the issue, and you see that here in Beaverton,” she said. “Communities across the state — like Beaverton, like Washington County — step up every single day to be part of the solution.”
Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty explained that three years ago, the city didn’t have a plan for addressing homelessness. The opening of The Beaverton Shelter represents a major milestone in the city’s response to the homelessness crisis and is the outcome of partnership and collaboration at all levels of government.