Starting August 4th, demolition crews working with Multnomah County’s Homeless Services Department will begin preparing the site at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue to support a new sober shelter that Do Good Multnomah will operate after construction completes in the 2025-2026 winter season. With the reconstruction of SE Mill Street adjacent to the property complete, and road crews wrapping up repaving on SE 82nd Avenue in this area, contractors will have unobstructed access to the site to install 38 single-occupancy, shed-style shelters with supporting sanitation and cooking facilities.
Multnomah County purchased the former recreational vehicle dealership at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue in December 2022 for $2.015 million. This 34,000-square-foot parcel was the second Montavilla location the County bought that year for temporary shelter services. The other shelter, Oak Street Village at 333 SE 82nd Avenue, opened in February and is currently operating at full capacity. The Joint Office of Homeless Services — now renamed the Homeless Services Department — has held several community meetings, with the most recent meeting in April announcing that Do Good Multnomah would operate the site as a sober shelter. Presenters explained that residents and staff are subject to drug testing, and policy strictly prohibits the possession of non-prescribed intoxicants on the property.
Selecting a sober format meets a specific need for people transitioning into stable housing who are in recovery from substance use disorder, and it better matches community desires for the site, which is located near two schools. The project designers will set back the new seven-foot-high chain-link fence on SE Mill Street to allow for more sidewalk-adjacent plantings, providing a buffer space and allowing for greater resident privacy beyond the plastic fence inserts that will obscure sightlines from the street.
Workers will remove sections of the asphalt pavement in the parking lot to create green spaces and a pet relief area for residents. Portable units that will house showers, bathrooms, a kitchenette space, and a laundry facility for residents are placed along the SE 82nd Avenue frontage to create a sound barrier from the busy street. On-site parking is available for staff and service providers only. This site will not provide space for residents to park personal vehicles. Some neighbors questioned the original placement of the trash enclosure on the property, and updated designs relocated it away from the fence line, but still made it accessible for trash haulers.
As work on the site progresses this summer, Homeless Services Department staff will collaborate with community partners on a Good Neighbor Agreement, a process anticipated to take two months. Demolition work will take place through August with a planned completion date around the 22nd of that month. Electricians, plumbers, and other tradespeople will follow to install the below-ground routed services that will support the installation of the portable sleeping pods and the six support buildings.
Disclosure: The Author of this article servers on the board the 82nd Avenue Business Association which will work with Multnomah County on a Good Neighbor Agreement for the site.
Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Greg Beddor – SEO Specialist, an Oregon based digital marketing consultancy. The company markets customer’s websites and provide SEO services to grow their business. We thank them for their support.