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Multnomah County officials in late June held a grand re-opening of a 106-bed shelter in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood at the site of a former Rite Aid.
Three months later, the Arbor Lodge shelter hasn’t sheltered a single person. County officials now say the shelter likely won’t open until mid-to-late October.
That’s because it never officially opened for service, despite the summertime opening celebration.
The Joint Office of Homeless Services said on Friday that it’s working to obtain an occupancy permit from the city of Portland. “We’ve been working with city of Portland inspectors to obtain a temporary certificate of occupancy, and hope to receive that next week,” says Joint Office spokesperson Julia Comnes. “It will take shelter operator Do Good Multnomah about 30 days to move into the site, and after that, they will start welcoming guests.”
Update, Monday 5:20 pm: The county says the delay is not because it’s awaiting a permit from the city, but because of construction delays due to “supply chain challenges.” Comnes wrote that “in no way was the City the cause of these delays. The City has been a great partner in this project.”
The city says it’s awaiting more information from the county to issue the occupancy permit.
“In a nutshell, the customer has open permits and has not requested all of the inspections or provided the documentation to close out the permits. There are various items that need to be approved for [a certificate of occupancy],” says Ken Ray, spokesman for the city’s Bureau of Development of Services. “We are still awaiting a call from the customer to request additional inspections needed to grant a TCO.”
Ray added, “Responsiveness by the customer, both during permit review and inspections, is critical to keeping projects on track.”
The shelter was slated to open in February 2024. Earlier this year, county officials told WW that opening had been delayed until May because it was awaiting the arrival of a door and some lighting fixtures. Now it’s not slated to open until October.
When county, state and Metro officials convened at the shelter on June 26 to cut a ribbon celebrating the shelter’s opening, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said, “Shelter saves lives. This reopening is about making sure every neighborhood in Multnomah County is able to offer those lifesaving services.”
The Arbor Lodge opening was a topic of discussion at a recent WW endorsement interview held with a group of candidates running for the Portland City Council in District 2. The shelter is in the heart of that district, which covers most of North and Northeast Portland.