On Thursday, October 10th, demolition crews with Buildskape razed the single-story auto sales building on the Multnomah County-owned property at 333 SE 82nd Avenue. As they prepared the site for an alternative outdoor shelter, workers removed the signage and high-intensity light poles used by RV and automotive sales tenants over the last several decades. In early 2025, people transitioning out of houselessness will begin moving into 29 one-room sleeping pods and receive support from site operator Straightway Services.
At an October 9th community meeting, engagement coordinators with the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) announced the final name of the shelter site. Up to this point, JOHS referred to the project under the working name of Montavilla Community Village. After consulting with community groups and business association members, officials selected the site name Oak Street Village. This final name establishes its location and will disambiguate it from a planned second Montavilla shelter location further south at SE 82nd Avenue and Mill Street. That other location will start development next year, with residents expected in 2026.
With the site nearly cleared of debris, crews will soon begin digging trenches for water and sewer infrastructure connecting to portable units that house showers, bathrooms, kitchenette space, and a laundry facility for residents. The site uses Pallet branded shelters for the eight-by-20-foot shed-style sleeping pods. Residents and staff will have 33 onsite parking spaces, trash services, and other communal spaces for pet relief and covered outdoor seating. Straightway Services staff members operate the site 24 hours a day, working from the office building at the SE Oak Street entrance.
Up to 40 adults can reside at the Oak Street Village. That number varies based on the number of couples staying at the shelter who can share a single sleeping pod. The JOHS-funded program intends for guests to have a limited stay at this site and use it as a stepping stone to finding stable housing. Rules of the shelter prohibit the use of illegal substances and alcohol. People may not possess dangerous weapons at Oak Street Village, and visitors are not allowed unless they are part of an approved support service. Residents will abide by quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Straightway Services will answer an onsite phone line available to the public to respond to questions or hear neighbor’s concerns.
These Oak Street Village policies and other considerations are part of a community engagement process that includes a lengthy Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) working group process that is wrapping up ahead of the site’s opening. Representatives of the JOHS, Straightway Services, Montavilla Neighborhood Association, Montavilla East Tabor Business Association, and the City of Portland participated in the process and will sign the agreement. That document calls for a community advisory group to track set metrics for area livability and will meet quarterly to review and advise on changes that could improve conditions.
Montavilla News first reported on the County’s intentions for two former RV sales sites along 82nd Avenue at the end of 2022. Over the last two years, the County increased its engagement strategy and held several community meetings. Organization representatives on the GNA working group described the process as productive at the October 9th meeting. They said people can view a complete version of the document at an upcoming neighborhood association meeting planned for later this year. Once signed, it will become a public document for anyone to read, with amendments and other relevant data appearing online. Construction crews will work on the site over the next three to four months before Straightway Services takes over the property to ready it for guests’ arrivals around February 2025.
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