Oregon Governor Tina Kotek joined Clackamas County leaders and other project partners last week to celebrate the opening of the county’s newest shelter. The new facility is designed in the “village model” of shelter, with private sleeping spaces for each guest and shared amenities like a community kitchen, outdoor areas and laundry facilities.
Read more about the village model
Clackamas Village will host 24 people at a time, with round-the-clock services from the nonprofit organization Sunstone Way. These services include peer support, community activities, employment and education opportunities, meals, mental health and substance use disorder recovery, and help finding and applying for housing. Sunstone Way will also offer ongoing support to participants after they move into permanent housing.
The village’s trauma-informed design recognizes the power of a person’s living environment to harm or heal after an experience of prolonged struggle. The pods and program buildings are painted in a palate of soothing greens, blues, and yellows, and pods are soundproofed for rest and privacy. Social activities in outdoor and indoor gathering places will aim to cultivate community. All spaces are ADA accessible.
Metro’s supportive housing services fund provided the dollars for construction and will pay for the shelter’s ongoing operations. Over the past four years, Clackamas County has used SHS funds to add or sustain over 200 shelter beds.
In her remarks to the crowd, governor Kotek noted the level of care that went into designing the village. “These little details are not little at all,” she said, “they mean a lot for the folks who are here. They are about caring in action — showing that in how these things are designed. They tell the neighbors who are going to stay here that we see their humanity and we see what they’ve been through.”
Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas shared a memory of when he first realized there was a growing housing and homelessness crisis in the county. The Veteran’s Village — which is adjacent to the new shelter — opened in 2018, and Savas was hopeful another village for the general population would open soon thereafter. Metro SHS provided the funds to make that vision a reality.
Savas echoed other speakers’ concerns when he cited the newest data on homelessness in the county, which shows that for every 10 people who are connected with permanent housing, 15 more lose their homes.
Metro Councilor Christine Lewis praised the project as a beacon of hope for people facing homelessness. “This is a place that offers more than respite,” she said. “It’s going to offer dignity, stability and a meaningful path forward.”