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Creating and Locating New Shelters

Washington County oversees a complex and coordinated shelter system that provides a steppingstone to long-term housing for people experiencing homelessness.

Washington County oversees a complex and coordinated shelter system that provides a steppingstone to long-term housing for people experiencing homelessness. Since 2021, Washington County has been able to successfully expand shelter availability due funding from the Supportive Housing Services measure and Governor Kotek’s Executive Order 23-02. Continuing to expand shelter programs reduces the number of individuals and families living on the street and provides a safe and stable respite in the transition to long-term housing. This webpage describes the Washington County process to determine where new shelter programs are located, and how local community members can be informed and help support the effectiveness of these new shelters.

Locating Potential Sites

Washington County works with multiple stakeholders before acquiring a potential site for a shelter. This includes working with city partners, certified realtors, faith organizations and other property owners in locating potential sites. Guidelines are also developed with City partners and others involved in this process. County staff use “Community Guidelines: Expanding Shelter Programs with Equity,” to determine if a potential site location is a viable shelter location. Considerations include:

  • Location size, condition of the property, utilities
  • Access to transportation,
  • Access to services, employment and community resources,
  • Geographic and demographic distribution
  • Impact on local communities or public services such as schools, playgrounds or public parks.

Preparing for a New Shelter

Once staff have determined that a location is viable for creating a new shelter and the property owner has agreed to site use, Washington County begins the community engagement process by notifying nearby neighbors of the new shelter site and inviting interested neighbors to participate in community discussions. Community engagement helps establish program management expectations, neighborhood livability issues, and expectations for future communication. Our process is as follows:

  1. Suitable site identified
  2. Nearby neighbors notified of shelter plans & community meetings
  3. Information session introduces staff and program
  4. Workshop with partners, law enforcement, & neighbors to form Good Neighbor Agreement
  5. Good Neighbor Agreement draft review meeting
  6. Nearby neighbors notified of shelter opening & final Good Neighbor Agreement
  7. Feedback collected 6 months after shelter opens
Diagram of the steps in preparing for a new shelter

Existing and Planned Shelter Programs

Washington County funds several types of shelter services, including congregate (shared space) shelters, converted motel-based shelters, and alternative models using pod shelters or pallet homes. Washington County will also begin funding transitional housing in 2026 with an emphasis on stabilization and recovery to serve as a more long-term steppingstone for people experiencing homelessness. Through different shelter and transitional housing models, Washington County serves the varied needs of people experiencing homelessness including families with children, veterans, medically fragile adults, youth, and families or individuals with pets.

Note: Additional severe weather shelter capacity is added during extreme weather (such as heat waves, freezing temperatures, and snowstorms)

To view planned shelter and current shelter, transitional housing, and access center locations, see the map below.

Map of shelter, access centers and transitional housing locations in Washington County

FAQs

House Bill 2006, Section 3. (1) states that “A local government shall approve an application for the development or use of land for an emergency shelter, as defined in section 2 of this 2021 Act, on any property, notwithstanding ORS chapter 195, 197, 197A, 215 or 227 or any statewide plan, rule of the Land Conservation and Development Commission or local land use regulation, zoning ordinance, regional framework plan, functional plan or comprehensive plan, if the emergency shelter…” authorizes local jurisdictions to site emergency shelters if certain conditions are met.

The law requires local governments to approve applications for emergency shelters regardless of state or local land use laws, if the application meets specific approval conditions outlined in the bill. Approval conditions include:

  • Sleeping and restroom facilities,
  • Meets applicable building codes,
  • Located within an urban growth boundary or in a rural residential zone,
  • Has adequate transportation access to commercial and medical services,
  • Will not pose any unreasonable risk to public health or safety, and
  • Will not result in a new building that is sited within an area designated under a statewide land use planning goal relating to natural disasters and hazards (e.g. flood plains or mapped environmental health hazards) unless the development complies with regulations directly related to the hazard.

Since the adoption of HB 2006, Washington County has used this legislation to site multiple shelters throughout the county.

Summary Community Guidelines for Equitable Shelter Siting (PDF 226.43 KB)

The Summary Community Guidelines for Equitable Shelter Siting include several conditions to determine whether a proposed location is appropriate for shelter. A location does not have to meet all conditions to be selected – rather, staff consider the combined priority needs. Considerations include:

  • Logistical needs such as size of location, condition of property, utilities
  • Access to frequent and reliable transportation
  • Access to services, employment and community resources
  • Geographic and demographic distribution
  • Impact on local communities or sensitive public services such as schools, playgrounds, or public parks.

Community feedback is not sought for specific potential locations of future shelter programs. Until a shelter location is confirmed, there is no formal community engagement. This allows for real estate and landlord negotiations to be established and for staff to determine site viability.

The Community Guidelines for Equitable Shelter Siting were created in 2022 and approved by the Board of Commissioners. The guidelines were the result of a lengthy community engagement process, including four community meetings and nearly 250 surveys. Staff used the community feedback to establish themes, priorities and guidelines for shelter locations, program management and continued engagement.

There are very few available locations in Washington County that meet the established community guidelines for new shelters. Key takeaways from that process included access to services, employment, and community resources, access to public transportation, and geographic and demographic distribution. Each selected site is considered with that criterion in mind.

When staff learn of a new possible location, a team is convened to gather information and consider the option to ensure it meets the technical needs of the program and the guidelines established with the community.

Other factors include needing a willing seller or partner who is willing to sell or lease the property at market price. Sites need to be relatively flat and rectangular for both alternative shelter models and long-term development. Sites also benefit from secure access for ingress/egress safety. With all these factors in play, we recognize that no one site will meet every possible need.

Finding shelter sites is a lot like finding a home; properties are limited and competitive. To keep the County on a level playing field with private players in the real estate market, to stay flexible and to act quickly, the County completes reviews and negotiations before reaching out to the community. Oregon law allows this approach, so local governments can respond faster to urgent housing needs.

Once a site is secured, we begin community engagement right away. Neighbors are notified and invited to join conversations about the new shelter. These discussions focus on listening to concerns, finding solutions and creating agreements that support both the shelter and the neighborhood.

Community input helps shape expectations, address livability issues and set up clear communication for the future. The shelter does not open until this engagement process is complete.

Community Engagement Spectrum (PDF 150.45 KB)

The Washington County Community Engagement Spectrum includes four levels of community engagement: inform, consult, involve and collaborate. The steps for community engagement in expanding shelter programs include each of these aspects:

  1. Public notification (Inform) – Surrounding residences and businesses are notified of plans to locate a shelter at the site and of upcoming community engagement meetings.
  2. Information & listening sessions (Inform, consult, and involve) – In-person or virtual meetings are held to introduce staff and partners to the neighborhood and gather feedback and concerns.
  3. Workshop (Consult and involve) – Site partners, law enforcement, County staff and neighbors gather to begin forming a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA).
  4. Draft feedback (Involve)– The draft GNA is shared, and a virtual meeting is held to focus on feedback or questions about the document.
  5. Program launch (Inform)– Surrounding residences and businesses are again notified of the timeline for shelter operations to begin as well as the final GNA.
  6. Continued engagement – An additional community engagement session is held 3-6 months after the shelter opens to gather feedback about implementation and any needed amendments.

Community engagement opportunities will be posted on our Good Neighbor Agreements page and interested community members are also welcome to email us at [email protected].

A Good Neighbor Agreement establishes expectations between the shelter program operator, the landlord and the local community. The plan is created collaboratively with extensive neighborhood input, and helps to establish mutual goals, safety and security expectations and address property maintenance issues. The plan also includes a code of conduct for shelter program participants and expectations around communication between the County, the shelter program operator and neighbors. Each plan is unique and is an opportunity for the local community to share their concerns and suggestions.

Related

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Good Neighbor Agreements

Good Neighbor Agreements are agreements made by the shelter operator and Washington County to ensure each shelter location is a supportive neighbor.
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Shelters

Shelters are the “front door” of our homeless system of care. They provide emergency services such as hygiene, nutrition, safe sleep, and housing placement.