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Multonomah County went through with the purchase of a downtown building as a facility for mental health services, Chair Deborah Kafoury announced at the "state of the county" address Friday.
The building, at 333 SW Park Ave., had previously been provided to the county and the city for a homeless shelter while developer Tom Cody worked on plans for an office building. Ultimately, he didn't move forward with the office project and offered it to the county.
The purchase price, including a parking lot next to the building, was $5.8 million.
"Multnomah County purchased what was known as the Bushong building in downtown Portland that will become a safe haven for people experiencing mental health challenges on our streets," said Kafoury in her speech. "Our vision is to create a safe place where people can come inside, get a peaceful night's rest, a place to wash their clothes and, most importantly, support from a community of people who know exactly what they're going through because they've been there, too."
The developer Greg Goodman had questioned the fiscal wisdom of the purchase, but county officials said they believed it was a sound decision.