Nearly 800 Portlanders Sought Warmth at Emergency Shelters Thursday Night

Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing on Saturday.

SHELTERING: Inside the Oregon Convention Center on Dec. 23. (Blake Benard)
By Sophie Peel

Freezing temperatures and sleet on Thursday night drove nearly 800 Portlanders to seek warmth at five emergency shelters set up across the city by Multnomah County. Those shelters will remain open until at least Saturday morning, when temperatures are expected to rise above freezing.

The 795 people who went to a county shelter last night are a significant increase from the 394 who sheltered on Wednesday night.

Warming and cooling shelters operated by the county do not normally fill to expected capacity. By Thursday morning at the Oregon Convention Center, however, capacity had doubled expectations; 280 people had sought shelter there.

Numbers at individual shelters weren’t provided Friday morning, but county officials did warn that slippery conditions had created staffing shortages at several shelters, and asked the public for help. A signup sheet for volunteers is posted here.

The five warming shelter locations are (per Multnomah County):

Reynolds High School: 1698 SW Cherry Park Road, Troutdale

Portsmouth Union: 4775 N Lombard St.

Arbor Lodge: 1952 N Lombard St.

Sunrise Center: 18901 E Burnside St.

Oregon Convention Center: 960 NE 1st Ave.

Those seeking shelter can call 211 to get a ride to any warming shelter. Free rides are also available on TriMet.

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