As the winter weather intensifies, Washington County has taken a steadfast approach to ensure the safety of its residents by providing no-turn away shelters for those in need. According to Washington County's latest announcement, shelters will be available 24 hours throughout the severe weather event, and will to provide hot meals, safe refuge, and accommodations for pets under varying policies.
One of the shelters, located at the Salvation Army Building at 1440 SE 21st Ave in Hillsboro, can be easily accessed via TriMet's route number 57, and is operated by Project Homeless Connect. The Just Compassion Access Center and Shelter, situated at 12264 SW Hall Blvd in Tigard, is another critical location that's available, reachable by TriMet's route numbers 12 and 43 and operated by Just Compassion. The emphasis is on inclusivity: families with children, veterans, youth, and individuals with medical fragility are among those who will find a haven in these emergency shelters, augmenting the county's existing program of 440 beds/rooms.
In instances where the life of an unsheltered individual appears to be in peril, the county urges citizens to call 9-1-1. For non-emergency situations invoking concern during the cold weather, the public is advised to contact the police at their non-emergency number, 503-629-0111, to request a welfare check. This distinction aims to ensure that immediate dangers are met with prompt responses, while other worries are addressed without detracting from emergency resources.
The county has set clear criteria for activating the additional inclement weather shelters: temperatures forecasted at 25° F or below, snow accumulations of 1.0 inch or more, or when the temperature reaches 32° F with 1.0 inch of driving rain overnight are the triggers. For those seeking updated information as the weather evolves, updates can be found at Washington County's emergency shelter page.
