Portland’s third Safe Rest Village aims to bring ‘future hope’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland’s Safe Rest Village program began in 2020 and has since opened two villages with a third, called the Sunderland RV Safe Park, which is expected to open soon in Northeast Portland.

The Salvation Army has agreed to run the new facility which will have 55 slots for RVs — a “drop in the bucket” compared to the hundreds in need of the service, according to Major Bob Lloyd, the Salvation Army’s Portland Metro Coordinator.

“The Salvation Army has been a part of the fabric of Portland since 1886 and we’ve been helping people struggling with a lot of issues, homelessness being one of the primary issues, all those years,” Lloyd explained.

Lloyd said the organization has been talking to the City of Portland’s Joint Office of Homeless Services about ways to help the community before it coalesced to this village.

The Salvation Army has been operating villages in Washington and California and is looking to implement “best practices” from these shelters to the Northeast Portland village.

Portland’s third Safe Rest Village comes as a recent point-in-time survey found that there are over 5,000 people living on the streets in the Portland metro area.

Given this need, Lloyd says the village will still make an impact on individuals and families seeking shelter.

“We need to be mindful that we’re talking about individuals and this program is going to make a tremendous difference for those individuals that need that help,” Lloyd said.

According to Lloyd, the Sunderland RV Safe Park will assess incoming RVs for safety from sanitation to possible oil leaks. He says the organization will also provide “wrap-around services” with mental health professionals on-site, laundry and kitchen facilities and a 24-hour staff.

“We want to make sure we’re providing a safe, secure environment for people who have been traumatized. It’s not easy living on the streets; it’s not easy living in these RVs,” Lloyd noted.

Lloyd says the Salvation Army would like to open the village in the next 60 to 90 days – noting there are “contractual issues to resolve.” He furthered, “there’s a lot of complexities you want to be prepared for before you start bringing people on site.”

Lloyd added that they want to understand every person that goes to them, and ensure they provide services that are relevant to their particular needs and issues.