In a move that prioritizes community engagement and evolving needs, District 4 Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon has decided to gather regional players to chalk out plans for aiding the homeless in East County. Instead of pushing forward with immediate construction, a 90-day pause has been enacted on the new homeless service facility that was to take shape at the former Cook Plaza building, a site not unfamiliar with serving as a temporary shelter during nature's harsh moods, located at 19421 S.E. Stark St.
Purchased by the County in December 2022 and unanimously greenlit for renovations last September by the Board of Commissioners, the property was supposed to transform into the East County Homelessness Resource Center, a hub offering both day services and 24/7 shelter options. After a bench was installed in the park, the community quickly voiced its concerns, questioning the efficacy of the proposed shelter within a changed landscape where other such facilities had sprung up, notably in Gresham's Rockwood area.
Commissioner Jones-Dixon, heeding the community's call, highlighted the importance of locals having a significant say in where and how to allocate resources for those on the streets. "I felt it was critical to be responsive to this feedback," he said in a statement obtained by Multnomah County News. Acknowledging the pressing requirement for services, Chair Jessica Vega Pederson added, "We are committed to staying at the table with elected leaders and the community to make sure our strategic visions align so that we can move these resources forward together."
The Commissioner, with the concurrence of Chair Vega Pederson, aims to convene East County’s elected officials and community stakeholders shortly. Their goal is to co-create a roadmap for establishing a service center equipped to respect and meet East County's unique needs, developments which have, through the windows of current facilities, painted a varied picture of what a shelter should offer. This strategic roundtable seeks to align visions and resource distribution to maximize the effectiveness of the community's response to homelessness.
