Real Estate

Many Portland Office Spaces Are Empty. Why Aren’t They Being Converted to Housing?

Money, regulations, and seismic upgrades are sticking points when it comes to turning offices into apartments for much-needed affordable housing.

01/25/2023 By Connor Radnovich

Light a Fire 2022: Best New Nonprofit

WeShine Builds Small Pod-Villages as an Alternative Approach to Homelessness Solutions

The new nonprofit's microvillages help build community and give residents agency in an alternative approach to homelessness solutions.

12/30/2022 By Matthew Trueherz

Light a Fire 2022: Extraordinary Executive Director

At Path Home, Brandi Tuck Is Anything but Shy

For Brandi Tuck, executive director of Portland-based Path Home, a college spring break service project turned into a career.

12/30/2022 By Conner Reed

Light a Fire 2022: Giving Shelter

Bridges to Change Offers a Pathway to Recovery

The Oregon nonprofit brings wraparound services to those coming out of prison or houselessness.

12/29/2022 By Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Houselessness

A New Tiny-Home Village for the Houseless Is Opening Soon in Portland

The project is run by the nonprofit WeShine, one of a small but growing number of nongovernmental organizations that are getting managed villages populated by tiny sleeping pods.

08/15/2022 By Julia Silverman

Summer Reads

‘City Beautiful,’ a Short Story by Portland Writer Callum Angus

Looking for an offbeat beach read? We asked an Oregon Book Award–nominated author to tell us a story set in Portland in the summer of 2022.

07/01/2022 By Callum Angus Illustrations by Katie Leimbach

Transformations

The Jupiter Hotel Is Ready for Its Next Act

For the past two years, the East Burnside hotel served as a quarantine shelter for COVID-positive homeless people. Now, it's ready for other guests again.

06/16/2022 By Michelle Harris

Q & A

7 Questions for the Next Head of the Joint Office of Homeless Services

Shannon Singleton, the interim head of houselessness services for the city of Portland and Multnomah County, on why she said yes to one of the hardest jobs in town.

03/23/2022 By Julia Silverman

News

A Lot Is Riding on Portland Street Response’s Citywide Expansion

Parsing the path ahead for the emergency responder program that sends paramedics and social workers to some crisis calls involving homelessness, instead of police.

03/01/2022 By Karina Brown Illustrations by Daniel Fishel

Analysis

What's Next in Portland's Strategy for Houselessness?

Plenty of questions remain, including when the Safe Rest Villages, originally promised by the end of 2021, will be up and running.

02/25/2022 By Julia Silverman

Q&A

What to Know About Counting Portland's Houseless Population

The last count, conducted in 2019, found 1,459 individuals were sleeping in emergency shelters and 2,037 more were sleeping on the streets.

02/01/2022 By Karly Quadros

News You Can Use

5 Oregon Stories to Watch This Week, January 24–30

A census of the tricounty area’s homeless population, final results from the Newberg school board election, and Kristof v. Oregon briefs due in court

01/24/2022 By Julia Silverman

How to Help

As Cold Weather Bears Down, Help Is Needed in City Warming Shelters

Shelters are open throughout Multnomah County—but without volunteers, there's a limit to how many people they can serve

12/29/2021 By Cami Hughes

News You Can Use

5 Stories That Defined Oregon in 2021

Rising temps, a juicy governor’s race, a persistent pandemic, and more

12/29/2021 By Julia Silverman

Spaces

Trauma-Informed Design Turns an Old Church into a Family Shelter

With pro bono help from a local designer, Family Village has soft curves, open sight lines, and a sense of place.

12/10/2021 By Angela Uherbelau

Light a Fire

How 4 Nonprofits Stepped Up in the Pandemic

Vaccine clinics, mental health hotlines, hot meals, business support—these groups got help to those who most needed it.

11/30/2021 By Julia Silverman and Margaret Seiler

Organizing a Fresh Start for Houseless Veterans

Do Good Multnomah’s partnership with California Closets of Oregon leads to efficient storage solutions that help veterans transition from the streets.

11/08/2021 By Ben McBee