Multnomah County Again Considers Turning Wapato Into Homeless Shelter

With hundreds of homeless still on the streets, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday revisited the possibility of turning the never-opened Wapato Jail into a homeless facility.

The building was completed in 2004, intended to be a 525-bed minimum security facility it never opened.

While the sheriff's office occasionally uses i for training, and film and television production rent it out as a set, the county has been looking to sell it, Commissioner Loretta Smith believes it could be a solution.

"It's an option that's been sitting empty for ten years," she said at Thursday's three hour meeting.

It's not that easy, though, commissioners were told.

It would cost the county a "barebones" $953,000 to get the facility to where it would be a safe place for people. And that does not include having someone to operate the facility and provide services.

Another obstacle facing the use of Wapato is that it is located in a heavy industrial zone and it's not clear the county could get around that.

There is also the fact that the facility is not located near any services and can be almost one hour from downtown.

The commission is divided on Wapato as they try to solve the growing problem.

Last month they converted a sheriff's office building into a shelter - which, with 200 beds - has been at capacity since opening.

The Gresham Women's Shelter is starting take referrals from the 211 line to fill their 90 beds.

The county isn't alone facing problems. Portland is still trying to figure out how to move forward with turning a former warehouse at Terminal One into a shelter.

While the original plan was to house 400 people there, it appears it will only house 100 when it first opens.

Photo Multnomah County