Portland Public Schools Rejects Safe Rest Village Site Proposal

PORTLAND, OR — A setback for Portland's Safe Rest Village program as Portland Public Schools rejected a plan to build one of the villages on the site of the former Whitaker Middle School in Northeast Portland. The school district's Facilities and Operations Committee decided not to recommend to the district's school board.

The Safe Rest village program is meant to use small, one-room houses to provide a respite for people living on the streets. The homes share facilities such as bathrooms and showers and are meant to help transition people off the street. Each village would also provide basic needs and services such as mental health counseling.

The program intends to place six villages around the city.

Whitaker, at Northeast 42nd Avenue by Killingsworth and Simpson, had been picked as one of the six.

School district committee members cited two main reasons, both related to what they said was the district's mission: one: the possibility that the district might move another middle school to the location and, two: that there did not appear to be anything approaching a consensus in the community on whether they wanted it.

Three locations have been approved:

A TriMet Park and Ride on Burnside; the Portland Armory Parking lot; and along Naito Parkway downtown.