Bend, OR — In a significant move to address the region’s homelessness crisis, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners has approved the conversion of part of a Motel 6 near Portland International Raceway into an emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness. The decision, made Thursday, will provide over 60 beds for individuals in need of temporary housing.

The shelter will operate under a “room block agreement,” a program managed by the Joint Office of Homeless Services. The office, which coordinates homelessness-related efforts across the region, views the initiative as part of a broader strategy to reduce homelessness through a combination of emergency housing, case management, and connections to permanent housing solutions.

Anna Plumb, director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, expressed confidence in the shelter program’s effectiveness. “This is a successful shelter program. A lot of people move to housing, and there is manager support 24 hours a day,” Plumb said, noting the shelter’s track record of helping people transition to more stable living situations.

The Motel 6 site, located near the Portland International Raceway, is not situated in a residential neighborhood, which may ease potential concerns from local residents about the shelter’s impact. However, at this stage, there is no formal “good neighbor” policy in place. The absence of such a policy may raise questions about how the shelter will integrate with the surrounding area, particularly as the program begins to take shape.

While this new shelter represents an expansion of resources for the city’s homeless population, advocates for housing and homelessness services have long pointed to the need for more long-term solutions, including affordable housing and increased mental health services. Still, officials hope that projects like this Motel 6 conversion will offer immediate relief for those who are struggling with unstable living conditions.

This motel-to-shelter conversion is part of a larger effort by Multnomah County to find creative solutions to the homeless crisis, which has affected Portland and the surrounding areas for years. The success of the program will likely be closely watched by both local policymakers and the public as they gauge its effectiveness in providing relief to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.