Avalon Village

Avalon Village is WeShine’s second micro village.

Village design

The village includes ten 8’ x 10’ personal sleeping pods, an office pod, hygiene building, kitchenette, and community space for meetings and activities. Two pods and the community buildings meet ADA accessibility requirements. Each sleeping pod includes a lockable front door, personal front porch, 2 windows, and interior heating, air conditioning, lighting, and outlets. Avalon Village Is fully fenced with both exterior and interior security cameras. 

The site plan was developed by Integrus Architecture on a pro-bono basis. 

Neighborhood contributions

Neighbors are volunteering to enhance the sense of community and the quality of life within the village. All volunteers are supervised and supported by WeShine. See the Volunteer page to learn more.

How Avalon Village started

WeShine was referred by Reach Community Development to the Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood District (HAND) task force, which was looking for ways to eliminate unmanaged camping and to better use the unpaved portion of the PBOT right of way at SE 19th and Division. WeShine met for 9 months with a group of stakeholders from HAND, adjacent businesses,  nearby neighbors, and other interested stakeholders. A Good Neighbor Agreement was approved by HAND in June 2023. However, funding barriers delayed the start of construction until the winter of 2024. 

Funding

The primary source of funding for this project is the Joint Office of Homeless Services. Substantial support was also provided from Integrus Architecture (pro bono services), the Portland Bureau of Transportation (no lease cost), and Constructing Hope (free labor on pod interior and exterior finishes)