As part of his proposed plan to end unsheltered homelessness in our city, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson today announced the addition of 50 beds to the Bybee Lakes Hope Center facility. These 24-hour shelter beds will serve homeless individuals recovering from substance use disorder with wraparound services, including transportation.
“My team and our partners are hard at work standing up emergency night shelters, a proven strategy critical to ending unsheltered homelessness in Portland,” said Mayor Keith Wilson. “However, homelessness does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. Our community has a deep need for 24-hour shelters specializing inopioid addiction recovery, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring hope and recovery to the individuals we can now serve. These 50 new beds are available immediately and will serve a crucial and compassionate role in addressing the crisis we face.”
Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers operate the Bybee Lakes Hope Center facility, which opened in October 2020, providing transitional housing and other services to the most vulnerable. "From our beginning, over 20 years ago, Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers has always believed that investing in a person and their recovery will create change. We are happy to see the new Mayor embrace this belief, and to continue our partnership with the city,” said Mike Davis, CEO of Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers.
The 50 addiction-recovery beds will be a 17-month pilot program supported by a one-time grant funded by a national lawsuit against several companies that played a role in the opioid crisis. Services will prioritize individuals who have recently completed or are currently engaged with opioid addiction treatment. This pilot program shares a location but is unrelated to Multnomah County’s proposed plan to replace Do Good Multnomah’s Downtown shelter with an equivalent number of beds in the Bybee Lakes Hope Center facility.
These new beds are a critical next step in continuing to build on the new 200 overnight shelter beds that were created in partnership with the Salvation Army in January. The additional beds at Bybee Lakes Hope Center will provide more shelter options for people experiencing homelessness, helping them find a place they accept and move them forward in their journey to permanent housing.
Read more detailed information on Mayor Wilson’s blueprint for ending unsheltered homelessness.