**If you are in immediate need of shelter, call 211 anytime of the day or night to find help and resources.**
Check out our newly-updated shelter map (updated March 2023) - click on the image to access the interactive map with info about each shelter:
Multnomah County and the City of Portland fund year-round shelters for people experiencing homelessness (see current list of shelters). These are primarily low barrier shelters that emphasize trauma-informed site design, meeting participant needs for privacy and community, and tailoring programs to the people they intend to serve.
Our focus is on programming that centers participant voices in program structure and processes; providing equity and dignity-oriented models of sheltering, and reducing barriers to shelter, including utilizing harm reduction practices, holistic and trauma-informed approaches to service provision.
The main types of shelters supported by the Joint Office of Homeless Services are:
- Congregate shelters (with a number of people sleeping in the same room or rooms divided into more private bays, featuring bunk-beds or cots, and offering shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms)
- Motel shelters (where households can stay in a motel room funded by the Joint Office)
- Family shelters (specifically for parents/guardians with children)
- Domestic violence shelters (where people who are survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault can find safety and shelter in a protected location)
- Alternative shelters (village style outdoor shelters where households sleep in individual sleeping pods or tiny homes with heating/AC, and have access to showers, community space and services in an indoor or outdoor shared space)
In 2016, when the Joint Office started, there were around 800 year-round shelter beds available in Multnomah County. As of January 2023, at full funded capacity, government-supported shelters in Multnomah County provide 2,000* beds, rooms and sleeping units. Because our family shelter system offers private rooms, each serving two or more people, and because motel rooms and sleeping units in our adult shelter system can also serve couples, the total number of people served overall can be even larger. And more shelters are being planned and are currently under construction, so the number continues to increase.
The Joint Office of Homeless Services recognizes the need for emergency shelter to provide clean, dry spaces for people to sleep off the street. But shelter stays are meant to be short in duration and offer connection to housing options.
View the monthly Shelter Utilization report* produced by the Joint Office of Homeless Services Data Team.
* Night to night capacity, particularly for congregate shelters, can fluctuate based on public health needs.
