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Beaverton’s first permanent emergency shelter is in the works.

The year-round shelter will provide a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to stay and access assistance with housing. Construction crews broke ground on the shelter earlier this month.

The shelter will include space for 60 guests, three meals per day, showers, laundry, clinic space and supportive services available 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Housing navigation and supportive services will also be provided, as well as a dedicated clinic space. The site will add capacity to Washington County‘s growing shelter program, which currently offers more than 400 beds in the county, according to a press release.

The 12,000-square-foot building, at 11380 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, is in a business area, centrally located near transit and within walking distance to grocery stores and social service agencies. The city owns the building that is being renovated for the shelter, City of Beaverton spokesperson Dianna Ballash stated in an email.

Open Door HousingWorks was selected to operate the shelter through a contract with Washington County. Ink: Built Design designed the project for the city. The project team also includes KPFF for civil engineering, Studio Wild Landscape Architecture for landscape design, PCS Structural Solutions for structural engineering and P&C Construction as the general contractor.

鈥淭he shelter will be built with an emphasis on trauma-informed and sustainable design, including natural materials, calming light controls, inclusive furniture and abundant natural light,鈥� Ballash stated.

Trauma-informed design principles implemented through the design include clear wayfinding, a folding area with seating outside of laundry space with windows for visual access of the laundry area, flexible spaces, covered and uncovered private outdoor areas, individual beds (not bunk beds), a calming color palette, amenities and provisions for pets, and more.

The project is on track to achieve Energy Trust of Oregon’s Path to Net Zero. Sustainable features include the reuse of the existing building and concrete flooring, a solar array that will supply 22 percent of the shelter’s energy, EV charging station, no fossil fuels (except emergency generator), all electric appliances, low flow plumbing fixtures, all LED lighting fixtures, additional daylighting with an added skylight and solar tubes, and more.

Amenities include a kitchen, showers, an enclosed landscape backyard with covered structure, individual sleeping pods, a coordinated care space for mental and physical health, and flexible spaces for group or individual support.

The shelter is made possible through availability of new funding sources for shelter acquisition and operations through $5 million from the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure. The city of Beaverton is also expecting to receive approximately $9 million in state and federal funding, including American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The total project cost is $11.9 million, including the purchase of the building.

Intake will be by enrollment through Community Connect, the Washington County coordinated entry system. Case managers will be able to help their clients enroll and there will be a central phone number for unhoused community members to call.

The shelter will be an adult shelter for guests 18 and older. Families with children will be referred to other partner agencies in Beaverton/Washington County, according to the project’s website.

The new shelter is expected to open in late summer 2024.