Skip to main content
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson halted development of a new homeless shelter in the Rockwood section of Gresham to give Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon time to convene local leaders and determine if the site is still the best option for the facility.
The county purchased a former state employment office on Southeast Stark Street at 194th Avenue for $3 million in December 2022 and has used it as a severe weather shelter. In September, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a renovation to turn it into the East County Homelessness Resource Center.
In an interview, Jones-Dixon said he is concerned that Rockwood is shouldering too much of the burden for homeless services. There are already three county-supported shelters in the neighborhood, where the quality of life has been improving, Jones-Dixon said.
“We’re concentrating all the shelters in one place, and we don’t want Rockwood to turn into Old Town,” Jones-Dixon said.
Portland’s Old Town neighborhood is home to three county-supported shelters. Critics say the facilities have contributed to crime and drug use there.
Members of the Gresham City Council, where Jones-Dixon served before becoming a county commissioner for District 4, have expressed concerns about adding another shelter in Rockwood just as the neighborhood in Northwest Gresham begins to revive after being one of the poorest in the state, a member of Jones-Dixon’s staff said.