Beaverton opens its first year-round homeless shelter

Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty stood in the lobby of her city's first dedicated homeless shelter Friday and did not mince words.

"In government, we often let ourselves off the hook," Beaty said. When a problem seems too big or unsolvable, the U.S. Army veteran said, there's a temptation to ignore it or fail to tackle it with urgency.

To combat that attitude when it comes to addressing Beaverton's homelessness problems , Beaty said she urged her staff to focus intently on "the next meaningful step" rather than trying to solve the whole problem at once. That's how the mayor came to be welcoming visitors to a former mattress store that the city remodeled into a 60-bed adult homeless shelter, complete with solar panels and a meditation room for people who need a quiet moment to themselves.

Bought and refurbished with $4.8 million from Metro's homeless services tax and $9 million in federal and state funding, the new shelter boasts polished concrete floors, custom-made beds that are wider than a typical twin and even an indoor Norfolk Island pine with its own skylight. Each private sleeping pod contains locked storage space and a curtain that can be pulled shut at night.

The shelter is part of the renewed regional focus on combatting homelessness in the Portland area that's driven, in part, by the 2020 Metro homeless services tax on businesses and high income earners. Previously, the only shelter in Beaverton was at a community center that wasn't designed as a place for people to eat, sleep and bathe, city officials said.

Beaverton's new shelter will be open year round, 24 hours a day beginning next month. Men and women will sleep in separate dormitories. Pets are welcome. On site staff will provide mental health counseling, employment opportunities and life skills programming, among other services.

Opting for bunk beds and open sleeping areas would have doubled the number of people the shelter could serve, but that wasn't the goal, said Sara King, a senior project manager with the city of Beaverton.

"It's more important to have quality for fewer people than as many people as possible," King said.

A flex space will likely host the shelter's first artist in residence, who also contributed a stunning mural in the entryway.

"I think that's a pretty unique feature," King said of the art program. Local artist Damon Smyth will work with those living in the shelter to determine what kind of art they will create. There are already spots set up to hang residents' artwork.

Energy Trust of Oregon provided consultation and technical expertise to make the space as energy efficient as possible, said Shelly Carlton, a senior program manager at Energy Trust. Carlton said the trauma-informed design features, like having two doors to most rooms, no sharp corners and soft lighting, melded well with energy efficiency standards, like incorporating natural light and creating a space that is easy to heat and cool.

The energy efficiency of the building will also lower its operating costs, Carlton said.

The shelter also offers an outdoor space with a pet relief area, bike parking and sheltered seating with a partition that allows smokers a covered place to sit while blocking fumes from the rest of the pavilion.

The shelter will be run by a service provider called Open Door HousingWorks , a Hillsboro-based housing nonprofit started in 1984. Ongoing operations will be paid for by Washington County with funds from the Metro homeless services tax.

Beatty hopes the city's efforts to combat homelessness might one day free up the new building to act as a college dorm or fill some other new purpose.

"I would love for this not to be a homeless shelter in the future," Beaty said. But, she acknowledged, "there's always people that have a need."

Spots are available at Beaverton's new adult shelter through the county's Community Connect referral system, which can be reached by calling 503-640-3263 or emailing