In 2021, Portland City Council adopted the Shelter to Housing Continuum (S2HC) project to address the crisis of houseless Portlanders. These code changes make it easier to site homeless shelters. S2HC also created a new community service use in the code called “outdoor shelters,” which allows shelters like the St Johns Village or Kenton’s Women’s Village outright without first needing City Council approval.
But as the City launched the Safe Rest Villages initiative and the Joint City-County Office of Homeless Services continued to operate existing facilities and open others, several implementation issues arose as shelter operators sought to permit new outdoor shelters.
The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has developed several proposed code refinements that address these code barriers and unanticipated technical issues through the supplemental Shelter to Housing Continuum – Part 2 (S2HC2) project.
The S2HC2 Proposed Draft is now available for public review and comment. A public hearing on these amendments will be held at the Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC) on October 11 at 12:30 p.m.
What's in the Proposed Draft?
The S2HC2 Proposed Draft details code changes that clarify the new outdoor shelter use added to the Zoning Code with the original S2HC, including:
- Outdoor Shelter Standards: These amendments clarify the development standards that outdoor shelters must meet and clear up a technical issue regarding the size of industrially zoned sites that can be used for outdoor shelters.
- Temporary Activities Rules: For shelters allowed using the Temporary Activities chapter of the Zoning Code, these amendments clarify that new permanent structures or alterations are not allowed with a temporary activity, and outdoor shelters can temporarily occupy a parking area on a site.
- Conditional Uses: The amendments clarify when a conditional use land use review is triggered for changes on sites with an existing conditional use.
Submit testimony
In person
Testify in person at the public hearing on Tuesday, October 11 at 12:30 p.m. This hearing will be a hybrid format. Testifiers can participate either in-person or virtually using a computer, mobile device, or telephone. You must sign up to testify in advance. Registration will open in mid-September.
In writing
Use the Map App
Testify in writing via the Map App
Click on the "Testify" button. You can testify on the proposals in general. Testifying in the Map App is as easy as sending an email. Once your testimony is submitted, you can read it in real time.
U.S. Mail
You must provide your full name and mailing address.
Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission
Shelter to Housing Continuum (S2HC) Project Testimony
1810 SW 5th Ave, Suite 710
Portland, OR 97201
Next steps
The PSC will meet again on November 8 to discuss potential amendments to the proposals. The PSC will likely vote on any amendments and the recommended package to City Council on November 22.