The exhibition space alone could serve 2,000 to 3,000 individuals. The facility has been losing money for years and needs significant capital upgrades to compete in the exposition market. The facility has meeting rooms, a full-service kitchen, a restaurant, and flexible outdoor exhibit space. The Expo Center is owned and operated by Metro. The Portland Expo Center is a 330,000-square-foot exposition center sitting on 53 acres. Fortunately, the region has a facility that is well suited to house thousands of people in such an emergency. With winter approaching and an unknown end to the pandemic, the region needs thousands of emergency shelter beds now. Local governments’ slow-motion construction of affordable housing units can’t satisfy existing demand, let alone keep up with future demand. Put simply, there are not enough beds to support all the homeless in the region. Housing redevelopment projects before and after the Great Recession replaced single-room occupancy apartments and low-cost motel rooms with high-end apartments and condominiums. Observers and experts concluded Portland and Multnomah County’s emphasis on a Housing First approach diverted money away from emergency shelter beds. Even worse, there is no evidence that the Housing First approach is effective at reducing the total number of unsheltered people in a community. The “wrap around” services are expensive and require individuals to have the ability and intent to fully use them. But, these projects take years to build and construction costs per unit are more than double private sector costs. For more than two decades, the Housing First approach has been heralded as the best solution. To be blunt, no one knows what works, and there appear to be no economies of scale. During the campaign, proponents claimed, “We know what works, it’s just a matter of scale.” They say what works is a “Housing First” approach providing thousands of units of permanent affordable housing along with a wide range of support services for those placed in housing. The taxes are anticipated to bring in approximately $250 million a year. This year, the region’s voters approved Metro’s two new income taxes to provide “supportive housing services” to the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless. Currently, only 51 units have been completed. Combined, the measures promised to build more than 5,200 units of affordable housing throughout the region. Two years later, Metro voters approved a $650 million affordable housing bond. In November 2016, Portland voters approved a $260 million bond measure to build more affordable housing in the city. While most of us will tough it out in our warm homes, thousands of unsheltered homeless will be stranded on the streets or in camps, unless we make better use of the resources we have. As if the pandemic, riots, and a recession weren’t enough, the Northwest is looking at La Niña weather conditions that will bring us a cold, wet winter. Winter is coming to Oregon, and it might be a rough one.

Portland expo center homeless camp