Beaverton breaks ground on first year-round homeless shelter in Washington County
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A new homeless shelter is under construction in Beaverton -- marking the first shelter open year-round in Washington County.
The shelter is being built along Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, off of Highway 217, and will have space for 60 guests.
The shelter will provide guests with three meals a day, showers, laundry services, free clinics and support services on site.
“It’s important year-round because think about where we live. It’s rainy, it’s hot, we have elements, and we know one of the meaningful first steps to getting people along in the process is a place to sleep at night," Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty told KOIN 6 News. "Having this shelter that operates year-round, not just when there (are) severe weather events, really helps create some predictability.”
While celebrating Friday's groundbreaking, the mayor says this is one step of many needed to address homelessness, noting it will take state lawmakers and the governor working together to empower communities to increase housing and shelter access.
"When I took over as mayor in 2020, we didn't even have a homeless plan. So, to go from not even having a homeless plan to have enough shelter fully funded in less than three years, I think it's pretty remarkable. It took every level of government working together to have today's groundbreaking," Beaty said.
This will be Beaverton's first permanent shelter when it opens in 2024.