Homeless Center Planned For Pearl Gets $1 Million In Public Funds

PORTLAND, OR – It's Multnomah County and the City of Portland to the rescue. The two have agreed to help Oregon Harbor of Hope get their planned "navigation center" for the homeless in the Pearl District open.

The project, on city property – the city will still own the land – under the Broadway Bridge, is expected to open around June.

Since ground was broken in April, the organization has seen the expected budget for the 100-bed facility double.

Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle gave $1.5 million to the project, which had been forecast at costing around $3.5 million.

The hope had been that the facility would open by Thanksgiving.

Those hopes were dashed as more and more aspects of the project came in at more than planned.

One example was the costs of environmental clean-up. Officials originally thought it might cost $100,000. It quickly rose to above $500,000.

Under an agreement announced by Harbor, the city and the county on Monday, Jan. 14, the city will pay a third party – Transition Projects, a nonprofit with an established track record working withe homeless – to run day to day operations and work with Oregon Harbor of Hope.

In addition to beds for the night, the facility will have showers and laundry facilities as well as access to social services.

Oregon Harbor of Hope founder Homer Williams says that the facility will be an alternative to shelters, which he says "are not the solution to our homeless problem.

"This navigation center will offer a safe place to sleep, eat, shower, do laundry, see a medical professional and get connected with social services they need and position them to graduate to permanent housing."

Rendering via Oregon Harbor of Hope.