Portland prepares to seek bids for 200-bed homeless shelter

Portland officials are finalizing a request for proposals for a long-planned homeless shelter on Riverside Street, to be leased from a private entity.

Approved by the City Council in June 2019, with policy guidelines adopted a year ago, the proposed 200-bed shelter is still essentially in the concept phase. City Manager Jon Jennings has also told the council and various committees federal or state funding for the project has essentially disappeared, which is why the city is pursuing a public-private partnership.

Greg Mitchell, the city’s housing and economic development director, said the city will continue to explore external funding from the state and federal governments, but those do not appear likely.

Jennings recently told the council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee he does not believe the city should be in the business of owning non-revenue-producing assets. He pointed to the Police Department headquarters as an example of a building the city owns, which does not produce revenue, and has costs for improvements that he called “staggering.”

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