Parkrose Community Village
Location: 12501 NE Halsey St., Portland
Site partner: Parkrose Community United Church of Christ
Opened: September, 2022
Capacity: 10 sleeping pods (an 11th pod is used as an office)
Guests: Adults who identify as LGBTQIA+, priority for those who are also Black, Indigenous, or People of Color or who have disabilities or who have been camping nearby.
[Photo, and quote from neighbor or church]
Parkrose Community Village (PCV) is WeShine’s first micro-village.
PCV provides on-site staff 7 days a week, lockable sleeping pods, laundry, shower, toilets, fencing, and a community building. Volunteers provide weekly community meals, teach workshops, coordinate field trips, and help with other community enrichment projects.
During its first 18 months of operation, the Parkrose Village served 24 persons and 7 villagers graduated into permanent affordable housing, and one villager exited to unstable housing.
How Parkrose Community Village started
In October 2021, WeShine was invited by Parkrose Community UCC leadership to propose a village. In February 2022, WeShine leased the property for 2 years. The lease has since been renewed for 4 more years. Per City requirements, the village is inspected annually by the Fire Marshall for permit renewal.
WeShine received pro-bono architectural, civil, and structural engineering assistance in order to submit applications for commercial building permits, which were needed for the community spaces. We are forever grateful to Hacker Architects and KPFF Engineering for their assistance in helping us stand up our first village.
A Good Neighbor Agreement was developed with input from local business owners, watch groups, representatives of the Russell Neighborhood Association, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, the Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, and others.
Village life
The Village is not a magnet for RVs and other campers. Our church host contracts with WeShine to patrol the church grounds daily, to pick up trash, clean up biohazard materials, and to interact humanely with campers to persuade them to leave the property. No RVs or other campers are allowed to stay on church property. Only authorized visitors are allowed in the village.
WeShine staff work with villagers to reduce the harm of drug and alcohol use. Low Barrier does NOT mean accepting all behaviors. Guests at a WeShine village are held accountable for their behavior, and are asked to leave if they do not meet agreed-upon expectations. Alcohol and illegal drugs are used only within the privacy of a guest’s pod.
How to apply
WeShine guests are found by referral; next they complete an application process, visit a Village Council meeting, and are interviewed by both staff and villagers prior to acceptance to the village. They also must sign a Good Guest Agreement that addresses behavior expectations and requires them to commit to 3 hours a week of volunteer work to enhance the village, attendance at weekly Village Council meetings, and a weekly goal-setting meeting with a WeShine staff member.
All Guests completed applications and interviews before moving into the village. (Read more about the guest application process).
Parkrose Community Village maintains a short waiting list. If you apply and we determine you are eligible we will place you on our waiting list. When an opening occurs, we will contact the higher priority candidates on our waiting list first.
Would you like to apply for Parkrose Community Village?
