WELCOMING, EMPOWERING, SAFE HABITATION INITIATIVE WITH NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT

Parkrose Community Village

Village Overview at a Glance

📍 Location: Northeast Portland
⛪ Host Partner: Parkrose UCC
📅 Opened: August 2022
🏠 Capacity: 11 Adults

💜 Priority Guest Eligibility: Adults who identify as LGBTQIA2S+, with priority for those who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, living with disabilities, or currently unhoused in the immediate neighborhood.

WeShine’s First Micro-Village — Now, Better Than Ever!

Parkrose Community Village (PCV) is where WeShine’s mission began. As a micro-village transitional shelter, PCV offers something simple but powerful: a safe, private, dignified place to land while you figure out what’s next. Villagers have access to lockable sleeping pods, shared cooking and hygiene facilities, and a genuine community of neighbors, all supported by on-site staff seven days a week.

Our approach is harm-reduction and person-centered. PCV staff work alongside villagers to meet them where they are, reduce the harms of drug and alcohol use, and support progress toward personal goals and permanent housing.


What Parkrose Offers

👤
On-site staff presence 7 days a week
🔑
Lockable pods with heat, AC, & outlets
♿
ADA-accessible pods & community spaces
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Shared kitchen, hygiene, & community space
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Outdoor garden & gathering areas
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Fully fenced site with security cameras
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Harm reduction support services
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Housing connections & navigation

The Parkrose Redevelopment Project

In FY 2025/2026, Parkrose Community Village underwent a major transformation. Thanks to a remarkable coalition of community partners, we replaced the original 11 sleeping pods with 13 new stick-built pods that are sturdier, more comfortable, and designed to serve more neighbors in need.

This project would not have been possible without the generosity, expertise, and dedication of the following partners:

LMC Construction
Pro bono general contractor, coordinating the entire build
Sound Foundations NW
Fabrication and delivery of the new pods
Integrus Architecture
Architectural design and planning
Christenson Electric
Electrical work
River Cities Landscape
Site landscaping (Hector Carrillo and team)
NW Shed Movers
Pod transport and logistics
Tivnu
Construction support
Recycled Living
Materials and sustainability support
Parkrose UCC
Host site, providing space and support throughout

We are profoundly grateful to every person and organization who provided their time, skills, and resources to make this vision a reality. This is what community looks like.


How Parkrose Got Its Start

In October 2021, Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (PCUCC) invited WeShine to propose a village on their property. By February 2022, we had signed a two-year lease, since renewed for ten additional years.

To bring PCV to life, WeShine received pro bono architectural, civil, and structural engineering support to navigate the commercial building permit process required for our shared community spaces. We are deeply grateful to Hacker Architects and KPFF Engineering for helping us stand up our very first village.

A Good Neighbor Agreement was developed collaboratively with local business owners, neighborhood watch groups, the Russell Neighborhood Association, the Multnomah County Homeless Services Department (HSD), Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (PCUCC), and other community stakeholders.


Volunteers: The Heart of Parkrose

Volunteers have been with us from day one, literally helping build the village, and continue to show up in big and small ways. From providing weekly community meals and building garden beds and planters to painting fences, supporting special events, and helping with media and administrative projects, our volunteers make PCV a truly community-rooted place. We’re so grateful for each of you.


Neighborhood Partnership

Our gracious host, Parkrose Community UCC, is an active and committed partner in serving the unhoused community in the Parkrose area. The church participates in Wellness Wednesday outreach, helps maintain the surrounding area, and works with WeShine to ensure a safe, respectful environment for villagers and neighbors alike.

Only authorized visitors are allowed in the village. No RVs or outside campers are permitted on church property.


Apply to Live at Parkrose Community Village

Parkrose Community Village accepts guests by referral, including self-referral. All applicants complete an application and interview before moving in.

Because our waitlist changes as Villagers move in and out and we are not always accepting applications, please click the link below to email our team and learn more about current application status and waitlist availability.

Check waitlist availability