Portland's village and motel shelters show success
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Tiny-home and motel-converted shelters across the metro area appear to be better at connecting those experiencing homelessness to permanent housing than larger traditional sites, according to recent report from Portland State University.
Why it matters: The findings detail what's working and what's not in how the region addresses — and allocates funding to — its worsening homelessness crisis.
By the numbers: While congregate shelters — where many people stay in one big room for up to a few days— are cheaper to build and operate, motels and villages have been more successful at placing people into housing.
- Motels and village sites operated by the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) saw the highest number of those going into permanent and temporary housing — 34% and 42%, respectively from 2021 to 2023.
What they're saying: There's no record of where nearly half of the people who exited congregate shelters went, while "a large number" returned to unsheltered homelessness.
- That's according to Jacen Greene, assistant director of PSU's Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, which conducted the study.
Context: Multnomah County and the city of Portland have been experimenting with various alternative shelter types in recent years.
- The first tiny home pod within the city's Safe Rest Villages program opened in 2022, while several motel shelters that opened during the pandemic have been expanded to better serve people with medical problems.
What they did: PSU researchers were asked by JOHS to conduct interviews and review two-years worth of data and budgets from several different government agencies to determine operating cost analysis and exit outcomes.
What they found: Greene said smaller shelters award residents with close-knit communities — several village sites focus on serving members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities — and allow them to form relationships with social service staff.
- Plus, "having their own space gives them a sense of privacy, dignity and safety," contributing to better outcomes.
- "The findings support our work on building out a range of shelter options that match the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness — all while being cost-effective," Julia Comnes, a JOHS spokesperson, told Axios via email.
Follow the money: It costs $20,400 on average per unit to operate a congregate shelter yearly, according to the report — the cheapest shelter option.
- With motel purchases and renovations becoming more expensive, a motel shelter costs on average $104,000 to acquire and $43,400 to run annually per unit.
- Safe Rest Villages built on city-owned land don't have expensive leases, but the short lifespan of the 8-by-8-foot pods and third-party contracts drive up costs. (The report found it costs $55,000 per unit to run those sites annually, the most expensive of shelter types.)
The bottom line: One of the researchers' recommendations was for officials to not focus on making congregate shelters part of their plan to address homelessness, "unless there's an emergency," Greene said.
What's next: Since providing the report to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, Greene said officials have already begun incorporating their findings into its new shelter strategy.