PORTLAND, Ore. — In Multnomah Village, a neighborhood in Southwest Portland, residents are expressing their frustrations about the changes brought by the opening of the Multnomah Safe Rest Village (SRV), which aims to provide shelter for homeless individuals transitioning from the streets.
The village opened three years ago and includes 100 shelter pods designed for low-barrier living, allowing individuals to seek shelter without the requirement of sobriety.
Long-time residents Patrick Brunett and David Carney-Fenton have noted a shift in the community’s character since the shelter’s inception. Brunett describes the area as traditionally being one of the city’s premiere neighborhoods, once characterized by a small-town feel.
However, they now see the impacts of the shelter model around them.
“We see satellite camping, we see drug use and drug sales,” Brunett explained, raising concerns about the neighborhood’s changing atmosphere.
Compounding their worries is the proximity of the shelter to West Hills Christian School, a K-8 institution located just across the street.
Chris, a resident of the Multnomah SRV, shared his personal journey reflecting on the shelter’s importance in his life. After experiencing homelessness for four years, he stated that the shelter has allowed him to stabilize his life and begin working towards permanent housing and sobriety.
Despite success stories like Chris’s, neighbors such as Brunett and Carney-Fenton contend that the consequences of the low-barrier model have negative side effects on their community.
They describe incidents of noise disturbances, drug activity, and safety concerns. Brunett highlighted the volume of fights and confrontations reported within the shelter, which he stated can be heard throughout the night.
“Low-barrier just doesn’t belong in a residential neighborhood, so there’s got to be a solution to that,” Carney-Fenton emphasized, advocating for a more suitable approach to managing shelter operations in local communities.
Initially overseen by the local nonprofit Sunstone Way, the management of the Multnomah SRV changed in July when the city of Portland took ownership of the site. The California-based organization Urban Alchemy now manages it, which also operates several other outdoor shelter sites throughout the city.
Carney-Fenton commented on the difficulties of engaging with the new management, saying they have been
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