This was a big week in Hillsboro, Oregon, in the battle to stem homelessness. The City and County welcomed Governor Tina Kotek and her staff to Hillsboro to officially open the new Safe Rest Village at 17th Avenue just West of Winco. Last year, some small Conestoga shelters were placed on this site and provided winter shelter for some unhoused individuals. This year’s effort is more robust and secure, and it features the now time-tested Pallet Shelter. These prefab homes can be easily installed, house two individuals, and offer heat and power. That is a big step up!

Conestoga Shelters were built in 2022 on the 17th Avenue site but it took a long time to build on site, and there were delays. These units were moved and redeployed in Cornelius, Oregon this season and are happily occupied.

The new Pallett Shelters are on site now in Hillsboro and feature heat, locker, and power- imagine hat a locked door would be a game changer in your life? That is a big deal for those settling into the shelters this year! Photos by Chris Barry, Hillsboro.

This winter, 40-plus people will be able to settle into the Safe Rest Village, which Open Door Housing Works, an organization with five decades of success, will run. Not only will there be fenced security, but Open Door will provide onsite management 24 hours a day, as well as social services, mental health counseling, and showers. These villages have been a proven important step in moving those living without housing back into the mainstream. This project has a real chance to succeed. The City of Hillsboro will build a year-round shelter soon on the corner adjacent to this new facility. That will be the first year around homeless facility in Washington County. These are all very positive steps in this fight.

For the Herald and me personally, this is a big deal, and it is something we care deeply about. In 2022, we featured a story about these Pallet homes after seeing them deployed in Portland and elsewhere and realizing they were valuable to the taxpayers and a great option to get people out of the bushes and off the streets. We suggested and opined that these would work in Hillsboro. Nice to see that they have been deployed! The article:

Can Pallet Shelters Be A Solution To Hillsboro’s Homeless Population?

https://hillsboroherald.com/can-pallet-shelters-be-a-solution-to-hillsboros-homeless-population/

The Pallet Shelters in Hillsboro will transform lives. Photo by Chris Barry; Hillsboro.

We congratulate the City of Hillsboro staff for making this happen, along with the Washington County Housing Authority and all the hard-working people who pay the Supportive Housing Services Tax on top of their Federal and State taxes. Another great project for Open Door Housing Works as well. All around, it’s a win-win-win!