A Portland architecture firm is looking to turn a Hillsboro house into a transitional family shelter.

SO25 Architecture is embarking on the adaptive reuse project on behalf of Family Promise of Greater Washington County.

The planned facility is seen as a midpoint for housing insecure families supported by Family Promise, some of whom are living in hotels and motels. Prospective residents will be prescreened, and facility personnel won’t accept walk-ins.

“This is a transitional stop helping folks that are in need, (to) get them back on their feet so that another batch of folks could come through,” said Bob Smith, principal and co-founder of SO25 Architecture.

The two-story house at 183 S.E. Sixth Ave. is on the edge of a residential neighborhood adjacent to downtown Hillsboro. SO25 will endeavor to reformat the house’s interior while leaving the exterior unchanged, Smith said.

“The inside of the building is going to need a pretty significant transformation,” he said. “Within the historic envelope, we’re going to modernize it as much as we can.”

The project is being paid for in large part by a $500,000 grant via federal coronavirus recovery funds. The project budget is about $650,000 at present, but Family Promise is seeking additional funding, Smith said.

The structure, known as the Barrett House, was built by William Nathaniel Barrett in 1912, according to the Hillsboro Historical Society. Barrett was a lawyer who served in the Oregon Senate and as Hillsboro mayor. The house is listed as a local cultural resource but is not on the National Register of Historic Places.

SO25 plans to transform the interior into three suites able to host about 12 people. One suite would be Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant. An office would have space for Family Promise workers, and private spaces where clients could meet with social workers are also planned.

The building offers about 1,600 square feet on the ground floor and 850 square feet on the second floor.

“The project will respond to an urgent need – accessible, transitional housing for homeless families, and afford Family Promise a more humane and dignified approach, providing greater stability, safety and wellness for children and time (and) space for parents to navigate housing, employment and resources,” stated Brian Schimmel, president of the Family Promise of Greater Washington County board of directors.

Accessibility and energy efficiency improvements will improve living conditions for vulnerable persons with special needs, Schimmel added.

Neighbors have not objected to the project, Smith said, noting that the site is near downtown Hillsboro.

“I see that as an advantage,” he said. “You have transportation that’s really close by, a hospital close by. Having that connection to be able to get to the places you need. You don’t want to tuck these places too far away … because you don’t want folks having a problem getting what they need to unless you offer it all there.”

SO25 became involved in the project when Family Promise was referred to the small firm by Scott | Edwards Architecture, where both Smith and S025 principal and co-founder Chris Olenyik previously worked. Smith and Olenyik launched SO25 Architecture in fall 2020.

The modest scale of the project better fit SO25’s portfolio, Smith said.

“Nonprofit projects can really be labors of love,” he said.

The post New use ahead for Hillsboro house appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.