Tag: Central City Concern

Community

City-Sponsored Sidewalk Cleaning Along Business Corridors

Cleanup crews from Central City Concern (CCC) began providing basic sidewalk cleaning services in Montavilla’s major business corridors in October. The Public Environment Management Office (PEMO), part of Portland Solutions, contracted with the employment opportunity program operator to improve conditions around neighborhood economic centers, aiming to create safer, more welcoming spaces. The rollout’s timing coincides with the critical holiday shopping season when small businesses depend on customers coming out to local storefronts and shopping within the community.

A cleanup crew member in a bright yellow jacket pushes a trash can along NE 82nd Avenue, with a large sign advertising 'FREE VACUUM AFTER WASH' in the background, indicating a car wash service.
CCC crew member Victor Leon collecting litter from NE 82nd Ave and Glisan St

In November alone, CCC Crew 3 removed 8,820 pounds of trash from City sidewalks in Montavilla and parts of East Portland. Cleanup crews work on a fixed schedule determined by need and resources, using trikes in areas closer to the city center and logoed trucks farther out in areas with larger volumes of trash. With this new program, contractors visit Portland’s busiest locations to clean up trash and biohazards from sidewalks on a weekly, bi-monthly, or quarterly cadence, depending on conditions in the area, and adjust their schedule based on demand. In the Montavilla area, workers will maintain SE Stark Street from 76th to 82nd Avenues, 82nd Avenue from SE Stark Street to NE Pacific Street, and NE Glisan Street from 81st to 84th Avenues. Crews will also maintain a well-used route to school along NE 82nd Avenue from NE Thompson Street to NE Klickitat Street.

A Central City Concern truck labeled 'Portland Solutions' parked with bags of trash, a broom, and other cleaning equipment visible in the back.
CCC and Portland Solutions logoed truck already half full of removed trash

In addition to CCC, PEMO contracts with Cultivate Initiatives in areas further east of 82nd Avenue. The citywide program focuses on spaces where people walk to school, work, shop, and enjoy neighborhood amenities. Cleaning crews sweep sidewalks, pick up litter, clean biohazards, and pressure wash outdoor surfaces when needed. The staff will also remove graffiti from city-owned street elements, including bike racks, utility meters, and trashcans. In addition to improving conditions on impacted streets, the funds support homeless-to-work employment programs that provide opportunities for people seeking pathways to stability and long-term employment.

A crew member from Central City Concern wearing a bright yellow hoodie and blue gloves is cleaning up trash along a sidewalk, using a tool to pick up litter.
CCC crew member Charlie Smelser collecting litter from NE 82nd Ave by Montavilla Park

CCC crew member Charlie Smelser explained that his group parks the truck at a central location within the assigned areas, then the three to four-person crew fans out with rolling trash cans to collect any improperly discarded items from public spaces. He noted that they also check the condition of city-owned trash cans to ensure people have functional options for disposing of trash.

PEMO’s expanded efforts built upon a 2024 collaboration in the Gateway Service District, with the City developing the concept and managing contracts. A three-year partnership between the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and TriMet funds the work in Gateway, with each partner contributing $100,000 a year for its initial duration. Primary funding for the augmented cleanup area, including Montavilla, comes from PEMO’s $1.7 million annual budget allocation by the Portland City Council.

A cleanup crew member wearing a bright yellow 'CLEAN START' hoodie pushes a trash bin on a sidewalk in an urban area, with a traffic light and street signs visible in the background, as a person stands nearby.
CCC crew member Charlie Smelser crossing NE 82nd Ave at NE Glisan St

Collecting litter is an endless cycle, but without regular cleanings, well-traveled locations show signs of neglect. This city service can help keep visible areas of Portland cleaner and more welcoming, while supporting small businesses that often lack time and funds to clean the public spaces. Funding for this expanded cleanup depends on Portland Solutions’ budget and support. However, its perceived success could encourage the adoption of a sidewalk cleaning program as a permanent City service, much as a Jade district trial program led to the 2020 expansion of public trash cans across Portland. People can expect to see cleanup crews in the City’s business districts performing basic sidewalk cleaning into 2026 as the program continues to develop.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Business Relocating, Community

Recuperative Care Program Greeting Guests

On October 10th, Central City Concern (CCC) will begin transporting Recuperative Care Program (RCP) participants from the Blackburn Center to their new Evergreen Crossing facility at 8225 NE Wasco Street. Earlier this year, CCC bought the former Comfort Inn to expand its ability to provide ongoing medical and housing support for people recently discharged from the hospital but needing continuing care. Last month, Evergreen Crossing staff invited people to see how a three-story hotel transformed into a medical recovery site.

Resident transfer to the new facility will take place in one day using taxis to carry people between buildings. An expected 45 people will move to this newly updated space with their possessions. Over the last few months, crews removed carpet throughout the building, leaving just the entry room’s flooring as it was. The floors now have easy-to-clean hard surfaces, more fitting a medical environment. Locksmiths installed electric latches operated by keycard readers mounted on the wall. The onsite manager’s apartment provided the ample platform to become an onsite clinic providing primary care within two exam rooms. Staff converted the apartment’s kitchen into a modest lab space, and the living room serves as a reception area.

Evergreen Crossing single occupancy room

During the search for a new building, CCC staff were impressed with this Comfort Inn’s amenities and condition. It has onsite commercial laundry facilities with double the equipment seen in similarly sized buildings and a large communal dining area. The multi-story building also had an elevator to assist the predominantly mobility-impaired guests. The program will reuse much of the hotel’s furniture in the rooms, with the exception of the couches and beds. For over four decades, the organization worked towards ending homelessness. During that work, they developed their own bed design that uses a welded metal frame and easily sanitized sleeping mat. The couches were part of larger rooms labeled suites. Those expanded spaces with small divider walls will become double occupancy rooms when the program scales up.

Some elements of the hotel will not work for the RCP, and CCC will need to perform future renovations to address those issues. The building came with an indoor swimming pool that they will need to decommission. Most residents are newly released from the hospital with conditions that would not mix well with chlorinated water. That large pool room could become space for visiting medical providers to perform onsite treatments for patients unable to travel easily. The facility also lacks a full kitchen capable of cooking meals. At first, residents will receive a dinner prepared offsite and brought into the facility. In the future, CCC will build out the existing food prep room to accommodate a commercial kitchen and create meals onsite. The Evergreen Crossing staff also intend to install gates around the parking structure to create a secure environment for residents enjoying the courtyard.

Evergreen Crossing Clinic medical supply room

CCC expects residents to be self-sufficient and somewhat autonomous within their rooms. Each room has a mini-refrigerator and microwave for breakfast and lunchtime meals. Guests must be able to use the restroom independently and get into and out of a seated position without assistance. Staff will be available around the clock on each floor to assist within reason, but current training levels will only allow them to provide certain levels of care. That could change as they increase staffing levels over time. With 66 available rooms, some of which enable double occupancy, they anticipate housing a maximum of 90 people. Still, they will always attempt to run at 90% usage to allow for emergency placements or delayed checkouts.

Evergreen Crossing double occupancy room

Montavilla residents and the thousands of vehicles rushing past this building will likely be oblivious to this hotel’s transformation into a recuperative care site. People are only placed into the program through medical referral, and visitors are not allowed, keeping site activity at a minimum. CCC does offer walk-in medical services, but not at this facility. People seeking that assistance can visit the Blackburn Center at 12121 E Burnside Street.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Business Closing, Business Relocating, Community, Property Sale

NE 82nd Hotel Becomes Recuperative Care Site

Central City Concern (CCC) is relocating its Recuperative Care Program (RCP) to the former Comfort Inn at 8225 NE Wasco Street. From this new location, staff will provide ongoing medical and housing support for people recently discharged from the hospital but needing continued recovery assistance. Participants are referred directly from local hospitals, health plans, and outpatient providers, staying on the property for an average of four to six weeks.

CCC is purchasing the 66-unit former hotel to host the RCP program currently housed within the Blackburn Center at 122nd Avenue and E Burnside Street. That location often runs at its capacity of 51 participants. The program’s relocation to the NE 82nd Avenue building will allow it to expand to address the 25 to 35 patient referral waitlist. Beyond the added space, the new facility offers centrally located access to transportation through the adjacent Max station and the 72 Bus line. According to Jordan Wilhelms, director of CCC’s RCP program, many of their clients face mobility issues and need easy access to TriMet. “Having access to public transportation is critical to their recovery,” wrote Wilhelms in an email interview.

The RCP provides a critical service to recovering people who do not have access to post-treatment support. Medical respite care prevents recently discharged patients from relapsing and needing to be readmitted. Inadequate post-hospitalization care is a particular concern for unhoused individuals who do not have access to primary care or specialty outpatient care. CCC will provide on-site primary care and pharmacy support for RCP participants in the new building, so people staying on the property can have immediate access to those services. The health care and pharmacy services currently offered at Blackburn Center will remain at the E Burnside Street facility, while the soon-to-be vacated RCP space could help expand the supportive housing program offered in that building.

Since 2005, CCC has grown the RCP and often stands as an example to other communities facing similar issues. “We were early adopters of the medical respite care service and are routinely visited by governmental and organizational representatives from cities all over the country looking to replicate the model. Our service is built around connecting participants with appropriate health care, helping stabilize health conditions, and accessing much-needed housing support,” explained Wilhelms. They provide around-the-clock support for clients and a place for medical providers to refer patients experiencing homelessness and needing additional care to recover from an acute or chronic condition.

Sheltered people often accomplish post-hospital care at home with the assistance of their personal support network, but that option is not available to everyone. RCP partners OHSU, Providence, and Health Share rely on this program to discharge at-risk patients to a safe and supportive environment where they can receive continued care. Programs like RCP can save money and keep hospital beds open. With the RCP option, people do not need to extend their hospital stay solely because they have no medically sound place to go when released. The CCC is engaging neighborhood and business associations in conversations regarding this site, and people can direct questions to the senior director of public affairs with the CCC, Juliana Lukasik, at juliana.lukasik@ccconcern.org.

Disclosure: The author of this article servers on the boards of the 82nd Avenue Business Association and Montavilla Neighborhood Association.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to please consider becoming a paid subscriber or sponsor. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.