Homeless shelter space is all around--and above--Portland

Pioneering homeless advocate Homer Williams says city should rent vacant office space in high-rises

Entire floors of downtown Portland’s office buildings are now vacant. Retired real estate developer Homer Williams says these spaces offer an opportunity for solving Portland’s homelessness problem.

When Homer Williams talks about solutions to Portland’s homelessness crisis, people listen.

Williams was 10 years ahead of his time when he proposed a 400-bed shelter in Terminal 1 along the Willamette River—which the City Council blocked on zoning grounds—and three years later raised private funds to open a 100-bed homeless navigation center on Northwest Naito Parkway that still operates, though now under Multnomah County management.

His next idea? Create shelters in some of downtown’s vacant office spaces.

“Overnight, that would give us all the space we would need,” he said.

Williams is not impressed with Mayor Keith Wilson’s drive to open 1,500 overnight-only shelter beds in sites around the city. Shelters must operated 24/7 to address the multifaceted needs of people living on Portland streets, he said.

On top of that, community resistance to shelters near their homes is formidable, and Williams does not believe the mayor can approach his stated goal by Dec. 1.

Why haven’t public officials considered renting space in largely vacant office towers? Because they are not deemed safe for human habitation as they were built to lower seismic standards pertaining to office use. Williams sees irony here in that these modern high-rises have served high-end professional workers who presumably have given little thought to their risk during earthquakes, but building codes assume that sleeping occupants need more protection than those who are alert at their desks.

But the higher seismic standard could be waived, at least temporarily during a declared housing emergency, at the order of the governor, Williams said.

“I wish you would write that,” he said.

Homer Williams says he doesn’t believe Portland Mayor Keith Wilson will achieve his goal of 1,500 overnight shelter beds around the city.