Shelters in Multnomah County have not closed, and do not plan to close. However, they have been operating at a lower capacity than normal so they can follow guidance from public health officials. Lower capacity also provides a buffer between groups of people who have symptoms associated with coughing illnesses and those who do not. Most, if not all shelters are full and not accepting new intakes as individuals are not exiting shelter.
Multnomah County has added two new shelter buildings: The Oregon Convention Center and Charles Jordan Community Center. These new sites do not add additional shelter beds to the existing system, but were opened to allow appropriate physical distancing between individuals in efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. These news sites will give the entire adult shelter system room to space out beds and return more quickly to resuming intakes of new residents.
If you would like assistance finding homeless services in your area, including shelter, day centers, showers, meal sites, etc. you can speak with a general 211 information specialist. Keep in mind that many services have implemented measures to reduce exposure, so we recommend calling first to verify hours of operation. information from 211info.org
This work by the Reed College Library is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY Attribution 4.0 International License.
Reed College Library | Email: library@reed.edu | Phone: 503-777-7702 | 3203 Southeast Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, Oregon 97202-8199
