FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Michael Cox, (503) 823-6593
michael.cox@portlandoregon.gov
Claire Adamsick, (503) 823-6388;
claire.adamsick@portlandoregon…
Right 2 Dream Too Signs Good Neighbor Agreement with Lloyd District
Public safety, communications, and celebration plans underway
PORTLAND, OR – Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo) has signed a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) with Lloyd District organizations and the City of Portland after a collaborative, three-month discussion. Partner organizations include the Lloyd District Community Association, Rip City Management, the Lloyd Enhanced Service District, and the City of Portland.
In May, R2DToo moved to its current site, located between the Rose Quarter and the Willamette River. An agreement with the City allows R2DToo to stay on the site for up to two years.
From the start, the rest area’s Lloyd District neighbors came to the table with arms outstretched to R2DToo, helping with the logistics of their move from Old Town/Chinatown, delivering food to volunteers, and strategizing about a public safety and communications plan. Now, the parties are jointly working on a fundraiser and celebration welcoming R2DToo to the District, on a date to be announced later this fall.
“As a resident of the Lloyd, I am happy to have Right 2 Dream Too as part of my community,” said Keith Jones from the Lloyd District Community Association. “In the short time they have been here, they have become an active and positive contributor to our neighborhood. I also am very pleased with the way that the community as a whole has pulled together to welcome and support R2DToo.”
Sarah Chandler, R2DToo Board Chair and Member, says she’s been overwhelmed by the amount of support from the community. “Our Lloyd District neighbors have given us the opportunity to explain what we do and how our model is different, and they’ve been open to figuring out how we can fit into the community and play a helping role.”
“The Good Neighbor Agreement process has been a heartwarming and reassuring example of community building between housed and unhoused individuals,” said Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who has worked with R2DToo and City agencies since 2013 to help the group find a new home after the lease expired on its previous Old Town/Chinatown location.
“Homelessness is a community-wide challenge, and in the case of supporting the success of R2DToo, this has truly been a community effort,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler. “Commissioner Fritz has dedicated years to ensuring R2DToo continues to thrive, and I thank her, our neighborhood partners, and local businesses for their participation in this Good Neighbor Agreement.”
R2DToo is a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3) charitable organization) operating a rest area which provides refuge and a safe place to rest or sleep undisturbed for Portland's unhoused community members who cannot access affordable housing or shelter. The Eastside location was identified and its set-up managed by the staff of Mayor Ted Wheeler, and the GNA process was facilitated by Judith Mowry from the City’s Office of Equity and Human Rights.
Other partnering organizations include Lloyd EcoDistrict, the Portland Police Bureau, the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods and the Office of Neighborhood Involvement Crime Prevention program.
###