Maree Wacker – Montavilla News

On October 29th, VOA Oregon celebrated the opening of two facilities in East Portland, including its Montavilla Campus in the former dorm housing of Multnomah University at 8435 NE Glisan Street. The new Outpatient Services center replaces a VOA Women’s Residential Treatment Center that closed at this site in April. That reportedly abrupt closure required 46 women enrolled in the program to transfer to other treatment options or discontinue the program. The nonprofit began renting space from the university in October 2024, before the school’s owners ceased most educational activity at the site and placed the property for sale in 2025. This location is blocks away from a planned six-acre VOA NE Glisan Street Health and Family Services Campus, which has been in the pre-development process since 2021 but has not advanced to permitting.

Welcome signs and balloons mark the entrance to Volunteers of America Oregon in a landscaped courtyard.

Senior Director of Behavioral Health with VOA Oregon, Christina Anderson, explained that reopening this space for daytime clinical use instead of overnight care was a way to continue the organization’s efforts while working around the aging building’s limitations that contributed to challenges in operating the previous Women’s Residential Treatment Center. “Residential and outpatient are considered two different populations, and their vulnerability and liabilities are different,” said Anderson. “The HVAC system and the lack of sprinklers were not conducive to a residential setting for outpatient.” The former dorm rooms now support clinician office space and clinical outpatient treatment rooms.

Two women speaking at a podium with an OAA Oregon sign, one gesturing toward the audience. — *_{VOA Oregon Board Chair Amy Wayson and CEO Maree Wacker}*

VOA Oregon President and CEO Maree Wacker said moving into this space has expanded the capacity of VOA Oregon’s behavioral health offerings. “VOA’s outpatient services program previously operated in a 13,000 square foot facility. We were busting out of the seams, and today here at the Montavilla Campus, we have 45,000 square feet in which to deliver these services, which are expanded and will help those who struggle.” Anderson added that those past space limitations would cause them to turn away people seeking help. “We have walk-in assessments Monday through Thursday starting at 10 a.m. In March, we had to literally close the doors because we could not bring anybody else in,” recalled Anderson.

Interior view of a long office hallway with carpeted floors, multiple doors, and VOA signs.

Wacker said VOA Oregon grew services by over 25% in 2026 before this move. They can now serve 750 individuals every week, and she expects to nearly double that number by the end of the calendar year. The increased site capacity will keep the doors open to more people seeking help, but it will also let the team expand its offerings. “Through the partnerships with Care Oregon, our program has experienced significant transformation. At the heart of the work has been the commitment to integrated team-based care,” said Anderson.

Three women wearing name badges sit together indoors, facing the camera. — *_{Christina Anderson, Maree Wacker, and Amy Wayson}*

Wacker highlighted that access and connectivity are important elements in responding to our community’s addiction and mental health crisis. “Here in Multnomah County, 45.6% of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness are struggling with a use disorder,” said Wacker. “Outpatient treatment is an important part of VOA Oregon’s continuum of care.” She pointed to the peer support offered in the Montavilla program as a critical part of the organization’s efforts. She said that case management services this year served over 1,300 people, helping individuals and families navigate housing instability, rebuild relationships, and identify community support.

Woman speaking at a podium with an Oregon OA sign in front of dark curtains — *_{Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards}*

Multnomah County Commissioner for District 3, Julia Brim-Edwards, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony to thank the organization for its commitment to the community. “Opening this campus will open the doors to opportunity, support, and hope for our neighbors and community members who need that path and are ready for recovery,” remarked Brim-Edwards. “This new campus will mean more people have access to mental health care, addiction treatment, and recovery services that they need to live healthier and more stable lives. Today is really an important milestone for the Volunteers of America, but it’s also a great day for our entire community,” said Brim-Edwards.

Entrance sign for Volunteers of America Oregon outside a brick residential building.

The VOA Oregon Montavilla Campus operates out of two buildings on the north edge of the now-closed Jessup University Multnomah property, near NE Pacific Street and the athletics field. Staff currently offer outpatient services to people seeking assistance with substance use disorder recovery and mental health care. Southeast of this site, at 2609 SE 136th Avenue, VOA Oregon also opened its Family Relief Nursery building. That site supports young children and their caregivers through therapeutic early childhood services, home visits, and parenting support.

Article and photo by

Jacob Loeb

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On Thursday evening, March 12th, supporters and guests of Volunteers of America Oregon gathered near the Convention Center to celebrate the family safety, substance use treatment, behavioral health, and post-criminal justice system support organization’s 130 years in the state. After hearing from VOA Oregon’s current President and CEO, Maree Wacker, and Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read about the benefits of a planned 5.67-acre campus at 8815 NE Glisan Street, attendees were asked to donate towards the facility’s construction and support the group’s other active programs.

Event banner showcasing '130 Years from Past to Possibility Community Changemakers' with a mountain and city skyline backdrop, dated March 12, 2026. — *_{VOA Oregons’s Community Changemakers: From Past to Possibility event on March 12, 2026}*

Volunteers of America Oregon purchased the Montavilla-based property in 2021, which had previously served as a church. The organization’s President and CEO at the time, Kay Toran, was instrumental in selecting the NE Glisan and 90th Avenue property as a new campus and treatment center. Her quarter-century of leadership concluded when she retired in early 2025, with few updates on campus development plans during the nonprofit’s leadership transition. The new location should allow the organization to co-locate some of its programs in an East Portland site, creating new community resources and one-stop service delivery alongside centralized administrative functions.

Aerial view of a modern building complex featuring solar panels, surrounded by landscaped green areas and a parking lot with several cars. — *_{Looking Northwest at future NE Glisan site. Rendering by Opsis Architecture provided courtesy VOA Oregon}*

In February 2024,area residents reviewed renderings of the proposed facility and learned about the phased buildout plans. Designers with Opsis Architecture arranged the proposed campus with external functions in buildings adjacent to NE Glisan Street and internal services in the site’s northwest half. The proposed VOA Oregon buildings will stand two stories tall along the site’s southern edge, rising to three levels as the land slopes downhill, maintaining a consistent scale along the frontage. Crews will reconstruct the existing parking lot, adding more trees and landscaping between the 92 stalls. Another cluster of lots along the property’s northern edge will provide an additional 54 on-site parking spaces. The early redevelopment will raze the 1950s-era church building and add frontage improvements along NE Glisan Street with significant work on NE 90th Avenue. Road Crews will reconstruct sections of NE 90th, adding sidewalks, street trees, and curbside parking spaces to the street’s western edge.

During the 2024 community outreach, Toran noted that the construction schedule is dependent on fundraising efforts. Since that time, VOA Oregon began using two buildings at Jessup University’s Multnomah Campus for its residential treatment for women with children. This partnership leverages surplus dormitory space at the faith-based higher education campus located at 8435 NE Glisan Street, just west of the future VOA Oregon site. Jessup University placed its 20-acre Multnomah campus on the market in 2025 and is still seeking a buyer for the entire property. Depending on which group purchases the university site and its redevelopment timeline, VOA Oregon staff may have a limited timeframe to relocate to the new property. Making this fundraising effort essential to maintaining long-term operations in the area.

A woman speaking at a podium during a community event, with a city skyline backdrop and attendees in the audience. — *_{VOA Oregons’s President and CEO Maree Wacker speaking at the Community Changemakers: From Past to Possibility event on March 12, 2026}*

A successful fundraising effort should advance the timeline for work at the VOA Oregon’s NE Glisan Street Health and Family Services Campus. Maree Wacker explained to the Thursday night audience what they intended to create at their site and why people should support their efforts. “Located in Northeast Portland, our campus will become a regional hub for healing, recovery, health, and hope. It will include 100 residential treatment beds for individuals facing severe substance use disorder, co-occurring mental health conditions, and pregnant women with children. Integrated intensive outpatient services that help individuals coming from residential care and back into the community, serving over 15,000 people each year.” She went on to explain that their trained staff will offer recovery housing with outpatient services, including peer support from people who have lived experience redirecting their lives from addiction. The campus will include space for essential health care, along with support, to create mental and physical stability so program participants can succeed in finding housing, employment, and long-term success. The organization provides specific support for families, and the planned campus includes facilities for childcare, helping people stay connected to their parental role as they seek behavioral health services.

A speaker in a suit stands at a podium with a banner reading 'FROM PAST to POSSIBILITY.' The background features silhouettes of buildings and a bridge. — *_{Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read speaking at the Community Changemakers: From Past to Possibility event on March 12, 2026}*

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read followed up with a declaration that the proposed campus was “the kind of solution Oregon deserves. It’s a model that is integrated. It’s evidence-based. It’s place-based. And that vision becomes even more transformative when we recognize the power of placing services designed to care for people and families through some of the most difficult moments in their lives, all in one place.” Read continued to highlight the nonprofit’s campus design’s efficiency and effectiveness. “It’s not about convenience, it’s about connections, reducing duplication, simplifying access, and strengthening accountability. Above all, it is centering dignity and equity, ensuring that the people we’re serving are meeting a system that is designed around them.”

In both speakers’ descriptions of the planned site development, they highlighted the value of having a single location that serves the range of needs of people interested in improving their lives. “Imagine those 100 new residential treatment beds alongside outpatient services, alongside recovery housing, alongside family support. It’s not a collection of disconnected programs, but a true continuum of care, one that welcomes people at the turnstiles of crisis and walks with them through stabilization and healing and through long-term recovery,” exclaimed Read. “This campus is not merely a collection of buildings. In this case, it is a coordinated system. It’s not coordinating programs, but coordinating people, organized and designed around people.”

Collage of images depicting diverse groups and individuals receiving counseling and support from Volunteers of America Oregon, with text highlighting their treatment options.

“We are building a future where services are integrated, where isolation is replaced with connection, and where people now needing recovery encounter support instead of obstacles,” said Wacker. “This campus is more than buildings. It declares loudly and clearly, you belong here. No matter your past, hope lives here. A place that restores your dignity and gives you a chance to leave behind who you’ve been and finally become that person you always knew you could be.”

The VOA Oregon’s Health and Family Services Campus at 8815 NE Glisan Street is likely years away from opening. The nonprofit will continue seeking financial support for the multi-phase buildout. As of yet, there are no active demolition or construction permit applications listed for the property. However, remarks at this week’s fundraising event show the group is intent on continuing the work started under Kay Toran’s leadership and setting up roots in the Montavilla Neighborhood.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article received a complimentary meal at the Community Changemakers: From Past to Possibility event on March 12, 2026.

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