County officials eye SE Portland building for sobering center
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Multnomah County plans to turn a 24,000-square-foot building on the corner of Portland's SE Grand Avenue and Division Street into a 24-hour sobering center, per a news release.
The big picture: The newly proposed center would eventually replace the county's temporary deflection facility, which opened in October and is also located in inner southeast.
- It would also have "up to 50 beds and offer a combination of sobering and withdrawal management services," according to last week's news release.
- The building, where the Casa bella Granite showroom and warehouse are also located, fits the county's criteria by being centrally located, being near area hospitals, and having no school within 1,000 feet.
- No opening date has been set.
Between the lines: Berkshire Hathaway currently lists the property, which includes 2007 SE Grand, for sale at $7.2 million.
- Ryan Yambra, a spokesperson for the county, told Axios the price is "still in negotiation" and could change. He said the purchase will be finalized some time in March.
Flashback: Portland's last sobering center closed in 2020 due to a combination of increasing cases of aggressive behavior and substance use — namely opioids and methamphetamine — that the staff couldn't support.
- In the years since, the city has faced a gap in the behavioral and public health services available to safely sober people up, instead adding the burden onto jails and hospitals.