Bridge Shelter

The City’s declaration of emergency in Nov. 2023 kicked off a series of efforts to address the growing complexity and severity of Vancouver’s homelessness crisis. Following the emergency declaration, we adopted a Homelessness Emergency Action Plan that identifies the opening of an up to 150-bed bridge shelter, including an on-site, medication-assisted treatment program and other wrap-around services, as a critical tool in our overall response.

A bridge shelter is a low-barrier site where those experiencing homelessness can have a place to stay as they “bridge” the space between living outside and the next step on their journey to permanent housing.

After researching several potential properties, the City has identified one that could work well for a bridge shelter. This property, 5313 N.E. 94^th Ave. in the Van Mall neighborhood, could be a good fit because it’s:

more than 2.5 acres
in Vancouver City limits
near a transit line
near other services
appropriately zoned for this use
equipped with utility connections

For more information explore these frequently asked questions and answers about the bridge shelter.

We invite you to share additional questions below. Follow this page to learn about future opportunities to share feedback on the proposed shelter later this fall.

more than 2.5 acres
in Vancouver City limits
near a transit line
near other services
appropriately zoned for this use
equipped with utility connections

For more information explore these frequently asked questions and answers about the bridge shelter.

We invite you to share additional questions below. Follow this page to learn about future opportunities to share feedback on the proposed shelter later this fall.

Ask a question

Please share any questions you have about the proposed bridge shelter. Responses will be posted on this page.

*Please note that if you ask a personal question, City staff will respond directly by email.

Share Do you understand how close this is to 2 childcare centers and a public park? on Facebook Share Do you understand how close this is to 2 childcare centers and a public park? on Twitter Share Do you understand how close this is to 2 childcare centers and a public park? on Linkedin Email Do you understand how close this is to 2 childcare centers and a public park? link

Do you understand how close this is to 2 childcare centers and a public park?

children play here asked about 1 month ago

Yes, and without additional shelter capacity, the amount of unsanctioned and unmanaged camping and related impacts will continue to increase all over the city, including near parks and schools.
Our four Safe Stay Communities and our Safe Park are located near schools, parks and/or other community recreation spaces (some even directly across the street). We have not experienced issues or negative interactions between kids and shelter residents.
Share I want to donate towels, bed pillows and blankets. What is your procedure for me to do this. on Facebook Share I want to donate towels, bed pillows and blankets. What is your procedure for me to do this. on Twitter Share I want to donate towels, bed pillows and blankets. What is your procedure for me to do this. on Linkedin Email I want to donate towels, bed pillows and blankets. What is your procedure for me to do this. link

I want to donate towels, bed pillows and blankets. What is your procedure for me to do this.

Kerin asked about 1 month ago

Thank you for the offer! The service provider eventually selected to manage the shelter will establish a process for receiving donations and communicating any needs. We will work with the provider to share that information out to the public once it’s established.
Share Wow. My question has to do with how it was decided this site meets the listed requirements. How do you define "near a transit line"? To get to the nearest bus stop, residents will have to walk about half a mile through the neighborhood, on unimproved roads without sidewalks, and past the play areas of 2 day care centers. Regarding "near other services", what would those be? The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away. Not sure what other services you are referring to unless you expect the residents to be interested in shopping at the mall? Which would again be about half a mile away and through the neighborhood. Residents of the facility would have access to the only public park and playground in the area which is just across the street. How will that impact the local families that Orchard's West Park has been serving for the past 10 years? Just because you have found an empty building on 2.5 acres of land doesn't mean it is the best site for this type of facility. on Facebook Share Wow. My question has to do with how it was decided this site meets the listed requirements. How do you define "near a transit line"? To get to the nearest bus stop, residents will have to walk about half a mile through the neighborhood, on unimproved roads without sidewalks, and past the play areas of 2 day care centers. Regarding "near other services", what would those be? The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away. Not sure what other services you are referring to unless you expect the residents to be interested in shopping at the mall? Which would again be about half a mile away and through the neighborhood. Residents of the facility would have access to the only public park and playground in the area which is just across the street. How will that impact the local families that Orchard's West Park has been serving for the past 10 years? Just because you have found an empty building on 2.5 acres of land doesn't mean it is the best site for this type of facility. on Twitter Share Wow. My question has to do with how it was decided this site meets the listed requirements. How do you define "near a transit line"? To get to the nearest bus stop, residents will have to walk about half a mile through the neighborhood, on unimproved roads without sidewalks, and past the play areas of 2 day care centers. Regarding "near other services", what would those be? The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away. Not sure what other services you are referring to unless you expect the residents to be interested in shopping at the mall? Which would again be about half a mile away and through the neighborhood. Residents of the facility would have access to the only public park and playground in the area which is just across the street. How will that impact the local families that Orchard's West Park has been serving for the past 10 years? Just because you have found an empty building on 2.5 acres of land doesn't mean it is the best site for this type of facility. on Linkedin Email Wow. My question has to do with how it was decided this site meets the listed requirements. How do you define "near a transit line"? To get to the nearest bus stop, residents will have to walk about half a mile through the neighborhood, on unimproved roads without sidewalks, and past the play areas of 2 day care centers. Regarding "near other services", what would those be? The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away. Not sure what other services you are referring to unless you expect the residents to be interested in shopping at the mall? Which would again be about half a mile away and through the neighborhood. Residents of the facility would have access to the only public park and playground in the area which is just across the street. How will that impact the local families that Orchard's West Park has been serving for the past 10 years? Just because you have found an empty building on 2.5 acres of land doesn't mean it is the best site for this type of facility. link

Wow. My question has to do with how it was decided this site meets the listed requirements. How do you define "near a transit line"? To get to the nearest bus stop, residents will have to walk about half a mile through the neighborhood, on unimproved roads without sidewalks, and past the play areas of 2 day care centers. Regarding "near other services", what would those be? The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away. Not sure what other services you are referring to unless you expect the residents to be interested in shopping at the mall? Which would again be about half a mile away and through the neighborhood. Residents of the facility would have access to the only public park and playground in the area which is just across the street. How will that impact the local families that Orchard's West Park has been serving for the past 10 years? Just because you have found an empty building on 2.5 acres of land doesn't mean it is the best site for this type of facility.

Patricia asked about 1 month ago

Thank you for your question. When looking at proximity to transit, we try to keep it as close to a half mile from a bus stop as possible. In this case, there is a bus stop just down 94^th Ave. that is around a quarter of a mile from this property.
The project team will assess and address sidewalk and pedestrian safety needs, as needed. “Other services” is in reference to other community amenities that most community members utilize — convenience stores, food, recreational space, shopping, employment opportunities, human/social services, etc. While not all of those things may be within a half mile, they can be easily reached using nearby transit. Additionally, we anticipate the shelter will include kitchen facilities, providing onsite meals for residents, so they won’t have to leave for food, unless they choose to.
We do expect that some residents would utilize the public park, just as any other community member uses the park, and they’d be expected to follow park rules, just as all members of the public are. Similarly to City Safe Stay Communities, it is our expectation that people utilizing our shelter facilities actively participate in our efforts to be good neighbors. There will be a code of conduct for behavior that applies to activity in and around the facility.
It’s been our experience that people who reside in our Safe Stays take good care of their spaces and watch out for their neighborhoods, just as other neighbors and community members do. That said, the concerns that you’ve raised are exactly the type of feedback we’re looking for in this phase of engagement to help us look at all potential impacts that may need intentional mitigation.

Why this site? It is almost across the street from Orchards Park, a half a block away from Kid’s Space a day care Center, and other children’s facilities about a block away. We already have Berth’s Place and a huge new low income apartment building being built about 2 blocks away. Homeless people are often laying in full site in the park asleep. 54th street has no less than 3 run down RV’s parked. These vehicles move around the neighborhood. I live in a gated community, yet we have had problems with homeless people in our garbage sheds looking for recycled. They either walk in when cars drive in or jump the fence. There are open drug deals going on in the park. We don’t need another attraction in the neighborhood to draw homeless. The Mall is already having problems and will probably fold if this bridge shelter takes place. Learn your lesson from the Navigation Center. It ruined already a fragile neighborhood. There are not grocery stores in this area other than local gas station fast food. This site will only attract more homeless.

Minnie asked about 1 month ago

The proposed site meets the site selection criteria that we have described previously. All of our Safe Stay Communities and our Safe Park are located near schools, parks and/or other community recreation spaces (some even directly across the street). We have not experienced issues or negative interactions between kids and shelter residents.

Shelters and low-income housing exist all over the city and are needed to reduce the impacts of people living without shelters and homes, such as people sleeping in parks and other public spaces. Things like that occur because we don’t have the shelter or housing capacity to meet the current need — all of our shelters are full.

The new housing development being built near Bertha’s Place will be half market-rate housing and half affordable housing up to 80% of the area median income (AMI). While some people experiencing homelessness may eventually move into that development, it is not a supportive housing development intended solely for people exiting homelessness.

We anticipate establishing a no-camping buffer around the site, very similar to the 1000-foot no-camping buffer around our Safe Stay Communities. The buffer would ban people from camping or living in vehicles within 1000 feet of the shelter.

If people are living in RVs on 54^th Street, on the west side of I-205, that can be reported to HART online or on the MyVancouver app. 54^th Street on the east side of I-205 is the jurisdiction of Clark County and would need to be reported to 311 for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to be dispatched. All other criminal activity that you mentioned (trespassing, open drug dealing or use, etc) should always be called in to 911 for police response to a crime in progress.

We anticipate the Bridge Shelter will have kitchen facilities to serve meals onsite. While immediate access to grocery stores won’t be a necessity, people could certainly access them via public transit if they wanted to.

Share How will this shelter ensure that those coming for services will not infiltrate the neighborhood and cause an increase in crime. We already have to check the park for needles before our kids can play there as it is. The shelf is just too close to families and daycare centers. on Facebook Share How will this shelter ensure that those coming for services will not infiltrate the neighborhood and cause an increase in crime. We already have to check the park for needles before our kids can play there as it is. The shelf is just too close to families and daycare centers. on Twitter Share How will this shelter ensure that those coming for services will not infiltrate the neighborhood and cause an increase in crime. We already have to check the park for needles before our kids can play there as it is. The shelf is just too close to families and daycare centers. on Linkedin Email How will this shelter ensure that those coming for services will not infiltrate the neighborhood and cause an increase in crime. We already have to check the park for needles before our kids can play there as it is. The shelf is just too close to families and daycare centers. link

How will this shelter ensure that those coming for services will not infiltrate the neighborhood and cause an increase in crime. We already have to check the park for needles before our kids can play there as it is. The shelf is just too close to families and daycare centers.

MRS JESS asked about 1 month ago

With the exception of private spaces like gated communities, people experiencing homelessness are able to access public spaces just like the rest of the public. In the areas surrounding our existing Safe Stay Communities, calls for police and other emergency services have seen a significant reduction. It is our intent to cultivate the same kind of space and outcomes around the Bridge Shelter, as well.
We do expect that some residents would utilize the public park, just as any other community member uses the park, and they’d be expected to follow park rules, just as all members of the public are. Similarly to City Safe Stay Communities, it is our expectation that people utilizing our shelter facilities actively participate in our efforts to be good neighbors. There will be a code of conduct for behavior that applies to activity in and around the facility.
It’s been our experience that people who reside in our Safe Stays take good care of their spaces and watch out for their neighborhoods, just as other neighbors and community members do. We appreciate your feedback and will use these concerns to help us look at all potential impacts that may need intentional mitigation efforts.
Share Isn't creating more services going to get us invaded from Portland's homeless since they are tearing their camps down and enforcing drug laws starting soon? Seems like an idea to get Vancouver to pay for Portland's problems. on Facebook Share Isn't creating more services going to get us invaded from Portland's homeless since they are tearing their camps down and enforcing drug laws starting soon? Seems like an idea to get Vancouver to pay for Portland's problems. on Twitter Share Isn't creating more services going to get us invaded from Portland's homeless since they are tearing their camps down and enforcing drug laws starting soon? Seems like an idea to get Vancouver to pay for Portland's problems. on Linkedin Email Isn't creating more services going to get us invaded from Portland's homeless since they are tearing their camps down and enforcing drug laws starting soon? Seems like an idea to get Vancouver to pay for Portland's problems. link

Isn't creating more services going to get us invaded from Portland's homeless since they are tearing their camps down and enforcing drug laws starting soon? Seems like an idea to get Vancouver to pay for Portland's problems.

James asked about 1 month ago

That has not been the case historically. Most people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver were last housed in Vancouver or elsewhere in Clark County. Portland’s enforcement of their camping laws begins with the offer of shelter to people in camps — if people refuse shelter, they could be cited and/or arrested for a misdemeanor charge.
Arrests stemming from these kinds of low-level charges typically result in a night or two in jail, if the jail isn’t already at capacity. People who entered jail from homelessness are exited right back into homelessness; this is true for both Portland and Vancouver.
Portland has been working to build more shelter capacity to address their community shelter needs, just as Vancouver is doing. While there has always been some travel going both ways between Portland and Vancouver, most people tend to stay in the city or even neighborhood they consider home, where things are familiar to them and they have access to services that meet their individual needs. Additionally, if people are leaving their current location because they want to remain outdoors instead of accessing shelter, they would end up leaving here as well. Our response will also require some camps to close as we establish additional shelter capacity.
Share Not a Question its a comment. This is a horrible idea. This will be the third homeless buildings in about a 10 sq. block area. The infrastructure is not adequate, the road is a narrow 2 lane road with no sidewalks. Granted it is a “homeless shelter” but they still have cars and the neighborhood cannot accept that amount of additional traffic. Put it across McEnerny-Ogle’s house. The city needs to stop enabling. Time for tough love. The more you give away the more homeless are attracted to the area. You are creating a sub class of people that rely totally on government handouts. This is a soft landing for socialism, one step from communism. The Democrats’ play book. Again, this is an absolute horrible idea. Now add Vancouver’s share of the ten million illegal aliens to the mix and you have added an additional layer of dependence. This is a slap in the face to the tax payers. I hope you reconsider the proposal. on Facebook Share Not a Question its a comment. This is a horrible idea. This will be the third homeless buildings in about a 10 sq. block area. The infrastructure is not adequate, the road is a narrow 2 lane road with no sidewalks. Granted it is a “homeless shelter” but they still have cars and the neighborhood cannot accept that amount of additional traffic. Put it across McEnerny-Ogle’s house. The city needs to stop enabling. Time for tough love. The more you give away the more homeless are attracted to the area. You are creating a sub class of people that rely totally on government handouts. This is a soft landing for socialism, one step from communism. The Democrats’ play book. Again, this is an absolute horrible idea. Now add Vancouver’s share of the ten million illegal aliens to the mix and you have added an additional layer of dependence. This is a slap in the face to the tax payers. I hope you reconsider the proposal. on Twitter Share Not a Question its a comment. This is a horrible idea. This will be the third homeless buildings in about a 10 sq. block area. The infrastructure is not adequate, the road is a narrow 2 lane road with no sidewalks. Granted it is a “homeless shelter” but they still have cars and the neighborhood cannot accept that amount of additional traffic. Put it across McEnerny-Ogle’s house. The city needs to stop enabling. Time for tough love. The more you give away the more homeless are attracted to the area. You are creating a sub class of people that rely totally on government handouts. This is a soft landing for socialism, one step from communism. The Democrats’ play book. Again, this is an absolute horrible idea. Now add Vancouver’s share of the ten million illegal aliens to the mix and you have added an additional layer of dependence. This is a slap in the face to the tax payers. I hope you reconsider the proposal. on Linkedin Email Not a Question its a comment. This is a horrible idea. This will be the third homeless buildings in about a 10 sq. block area. The infrastructure is not adequate, the road is a narrow 2 lane road with no sidewalks. Granted it is a “homeless shelter” but they still have cars and the neighborhood cannot accept that amount of additional traffic. Put it across McEnerny-Ogle’s house. The city needs to stop enabling. Time for tough love. The more you give away the more homeless are attracted to the area. You are creating a sub class of people that rely totally on government handouts. This is a soft landing for socialism, one step from communism. The Democrats’ play book. Again, this is an absolute horrible idea. Now add Vancouver’s share of the ten million illegal aliens to the mix and you have added an additional layer of dependence. This is a slap in the face to the tax payers. I hope you reconsider the proposal. link

Not a Question its a comment. This is a horrible idea. This will be the third homeless buildings in about a 10 sq. block area. The infrastructure is not adequate, the road is a narrow 2 lane road with no sidewalks. Granted it is a “homeless shelter” but they still have cars and the neighborhood cannot accept that amount of additional traffic. Put it across McEnerny-Ogle’s house. The city needs to stop enabling. Time for tough love. The more you give away the more homeless are attracted to the area. You are creating a sub class of people that rely totally on government handouts. This is a soft landing for socialism, one step from communism. The Democrats’ play book. Again, this is an absolute horrible idea. Now add Vancouver’s share of the ten million illegal aliens to the mix and you have added an additional layer of dependence. This is a slap in the face to the tax payers. I hope you reconsider the proposal.

EGB asked about 1 month ago

Thank you for your comments. The project team will investigate sidewalk needs as we evaluate and mitigate potential safety issues in the area. Certainly, some individuals who would utilize the facility may have vehicles, but many people living outdoors right now do not. Parking, sidewalks and any other access measures, will be addressed through the permitting process.
In regard to “handouts” creating dependence, it’s worth noting that, prior to 2021, there had been no meaningful addition to shelter capacity in Vancouver for around 30 years. For most of that time, camping was illegal everywhere at all times. Homelessness continued to grow over that entire time period, despite strict enforcement of camping laws.
There are a variety of causes of and contributors to homelessness, including: housing capacity and affordability, household crises, like significant medical events, domestic violence, and job loss. One of the largest contributors to homelessness is youth aging out of foster care. With no shelter options or capacity available, many individuals and households end up living in vehicles or outdoors. The longer people live outdoors, the more difficult it becomes to get back indoors.
Share Can we somehow move the location to another place? the van mall neighborhood is already home to several bridge shelters, the old hotels nearby have been converted already and the low-income by target plaza. And not to mention the idea itself seems underthought, Vancouver Homelessness Response Manager Jamie Spinelli said their was 500 people without homes every night and this shelter isn't considering half of the proposed homelessness population and doesn't seem well thought through. A bridge shelter that could accommodate half 250 or more would seem to be more reasonable and have a better impact on the community! on Facebook Share Can we somehow move the location to another place? the van mall neighborhood is already home to several bridge shelters, the old hotels nearby have been converted already and the low-income by target plaza. And not to mention the idea itself seems underthought, Vancouver Homelessness Response Manager Jamie Spinelli said their was 500 people without homes every night and this shelter isn't considering half of the proposed homelessness population and doesn't seem well thought through. A bridge shelter that could accommodate half 250 or more would seem to be more reasonable and have a better impact on the community! on Twitter Share Can we somehow move the location to another place? the van mall neighborhood is already home to several bridge shelters, the old hotels nearby have been converted already and the low-income by target plaza. And not to mention the idea itself seems underthought, Vancouver Homelessness Response Manager Jamie Spinelli said their was 500 people without homes every night and this shelter isn't considering half of the proposed homelessness population and doesn't seem well thought through. A bridge shelter that could accommodate half 250 or more would seem to be more reasonable and have a better impact on the community! on Linkedin Email Can we somehow move the location to another place? the van mall neighborhood is already home to several bridge shelters, the old hotels nearby have been converted already and the low-income by target plaza. And not to mention the idea itself seems underthought, Vancouver Homelessness Response Manager Jamie Spinelli said their was 500 people without homes every night and this shelter isn't considering half of the proposed homelessness population and doesn't seem well thought through. A bridge shelter that could accommodate half 250 or more would seem to be more reasonable and have a better impact on the community! link

Can we somehow move the location to another place? the van mall neighborhood is already home to several bridge shelters, the old hotels nearby have been converted already and the low-income by target plaza. And not to mention the idea itself seems underthought, Vancouver Homelessness Response Manager Jamie Spinelli said their was 500 people without homes every night and this shelter isn't considering half of the proposed homelessness population and doesn't seem well thought through. A bridge shelter that could accommodate half 250 or more would seem to be more reasonable and have a better impact on the community!

Dfarwick asked about 1 month ago
No neighborhoods in Vancouver were singled out or excluded in the search for a potential Bridge Shelter property. This was a very similar process to what we utilized to locate properties for the four Safe Stay Communities that we’ve opened since 2021. Staff used a set of site selection criteria to identify a property:
- Located on or near a transit line
- Near services
- Appropriately zoned for this use (Commercial, in this case)
- Large enough to accommodate a 150-bed shelter (at least 2.5 acres)
- In Vancouver City limits
Housing and shelter developments are different types of land uses and require different types of zoning. There are both shelters and housing (of all types) all over the city. Seven of the 12 existing year-round shelters with any beds available to adults without children are located west of I-5.
Unfortunately, we don’t currently have the resource capacity to establish enough shelter for 250-500 people. Identifying additional revenue sources and potential funding partners are top priorities for the City and something we are actively working on.
Share Will this shelter be low barrier? The way our community has seen the ineffectiveness of low barrier shelters in other neighborhoods in Vancouver is daunting, for example the mens shelter ran by sharehouse in downtown Vancouver, the place down there is a mess, with houseless folks who don't even live there camping out in the surrounding areas, mass drugs, tons of garbage, pest control problems etc. Will there be security? Will shelter residence be held accountable for actions they take? I do not believe that Share is a good organization to oversee this as it would end up being another Navigation Center debacle. How will you guys enforce other houseless folks from not gathering around the area or moving into the neighborhood or taking refuge in the park down the road? There is so many problems with putting another shelter here when Berthas Place is already down the road, more low income housing is being built where the Golden Tent was... There needs to be space between these places and Vancouver seems to be wanting to lump them all together right off of fourth plain. Will there be a limit on how long people can stay? Or will this become an enabling environment where individuals work at their own pace if there is a pace at all of getting into full time housing? I support the need to get people inside, but with rules and regulations and not a free for all with no repercussions. The idea of putting this shelter here in our neighborhood is actually a bit upsetting and disturbing and it feels like the City Of Vancouver is pushing to create a new area to put the houseless community. There needs to be a surrounding area group meeting in person to discuss this together as a community. on Facebook Share Will this shelter be low barrier? The way our community has seen the ineffectiveness of low barrier shelters in other neighborhoods in Vancouver is daunting, for example the mens shelter ran by sharehouse in downtown Vancouver, the place down there is a mess, with houseless folks who don't even live there camping out in the surrounding areas, mass drugs, tons of garbage, pest control problems etc. Will there be security? Will shelter residence be held accountable for actions they take? I do not believe that Share is a good organization to oversee this as it would end up being another Navigation Center debacle. How will you guys enforce other houseless folks from not gathering around the area or moving into the neighborhood or taking refuge in the park down the road? There is so many problems with putting another shelter here when Berthas Place is already down the road, more low income housing is being built where the Golden Tent was... There needs to be space between these places and Vancouver seems to be wanting to lump them all together right off of fourth plain. Will there be a limit on how long people can stay? Or will this become an enabling environment where individuals work at their own pace if there is a pace at all of getting into full time housing? I support the need to get people inside, but with rules and regulations and not a free for all with no repercussions. The idea of putting this shelter here in our neighborhood is actually a bit upsetting and disturbing and it feels like the City Of Vancouver is pushing to create a new area to put the houseless community. There needs to be a surrounding area group meeting in person to discuss this together as a community. on Twitter Share Will this shelter be low barrier? The way our community has seen the ineffectiveness of low barrier shelters in other neighborhoods in Vancouver is daunting, for example the mens shelter ran by sharehouse in downtown Vancouver, the place down there is a mess, with houseless folks who don't even live there camping out in the surrounding areas, mass drugs, tons of garbage, pest control problems etc. Will there be security? Will shelter residence be held accountable for actions they take? I do not believe that Share is a good organization to oversee this as it would end up being another Navigation Center debacle. How will you guys enforce other houseless folks from not gathering around the area or moving into the neighborhood or taking refuge in the park down the road? There is so many problems with putting another shelter here when Berthas Place is already down the road, more low income housing is being built where the Golden Tent was... There needs to be space between these places and Vancouver seems to be wanting to lump them all together right off of fourth plain. Will there be a limit on how long people can stay? Or will this become an enabling environment where individuals work at their own pace if there is a pace at all of getting into full time housing? I support the need to get people inside, but with rules and regulations and not a free for all with no repercussions. The idea of putting this shelter here in our neighborhood is actually a bit upsetting and disturbing and it feels like the City Of Vancouver is pushing to create a new area to put the houseless community. There needs to be a surrounding area group meeting in person to discuss this together as a community. on Linkedin Email Will this shelter be low barrier? The way our community has seen the ineffectiveness of low barrier shelters in other neighborhoods in Vancouver is daunting, for example the mens shelter ran by sharehouse in downtown Vancouver, the place down there is a mess, with houseless folks who don't even live there camping out in the surrounding areas, mass drugs, tons of garbage, pest control problems etc. Will there be security? Will shelter residence be held accountable for actions they take? I do not believe that Share is a good organization to oversee this as it would end up being another Navigation Center debacle. How will you guys enforce other houseless folks from not gathering around the area or moving into the neighborhood or taking refuge in the park down the road? There is so many problems with putting another shelter here when Berthas Place is already down the road, more low income housing is being built where the Golden Tent was... There needs to be space between these places and Vancouver seems to be wanting to lump them all together right off of fourth plain. Will there be a limit on how long people can stay? Or will this become an enabling environment where individuals work at their own pace if there is a pace at all of getting into full time housing? I support the need to get people inside, but with rules and regulations and not a free for all with no repercussions. The idea of putting this shelter here in our neighborhood is actually a bit upsetting and disturbing and it feels like the City Of Vancouver is pushing to create a new area to put the houseless community. There needs to be a surrounding area group meeting in person to discuss this together as a community. link

Will this shelter be low barrier? The way our community has seen the ineffectiveness of low barrier shelters in other neighborhoods in Vancouver is daunting, for example the mens shelter ran by sharehouse in downtown Vancouver, the place down there is a mess, with houseless folks who don't even live there camping out in the surrounding areas, mass drugs, tons of garbage, pest control problems etc. Will there be security? Will shelter residence be held accountable for actions they take? I do not believe that Share is a good organization to oversee this as it would end up being another Navigation Center debacle. How will you guys enforce other houseless folks from not gathering around the area or moving into the neighborhood or taking refuge in the park down the road? There is so many problems with putting another shelter here when Berthas Place is already down the road, more low income housing is being built where the Golden Tent was... There needs to be space between these places and Vancouver seems to be wanting to lump them all together right off of fourth plain. Will there be a limit on how long people can stay? Or will this become an enabling environment where individuals work at their own pace if there is a pace at all of getting into full time housing? I support the need to get people inside, but with rules and regulations and not a free for all with no repercussions. The idea of putting this shelter here in our neighborhood is actually a bit upsetting and disturbing and it feels like the City Of Vancouver is pushing to create a new area to put the houseless community. There needs to be a surrounding area group meeting in person to discuss this together as a community.

Jeramy Hopkins asked about 1 month ago
Yes, we intend for the shelter to be low-barrier for entry, just as the City’s Safe Stay Communities provide low-barrier entry. The City has established 1000’ no-camping buffers around each of its shelters (Safe Stay Communities) and Safe Park to reduce potential negative impacts to the surrounding neighborhoods and the Safe Stay residents. We anticipate establishing a similar no-camping buffer around the Bridge Shelter.
It is unknown at this time whether formal security staff will be needed or if other types of security measures will suffice. Safety, security and other considerations you mentioned are the types of questions we’re asking potential Bridge Shelter operators, as part of the current Request for Proposal process.
The purpose of the current phase of community engagement is to hear specific questions, concerns and ideas from the community around topics just like this and utilize that feedback in both site and program design for the next phase of the project. There will be multiple opportunities for community input in every phase of the project.
The Golden Tent development is slated to be about half market-rate housing and half affordable housing up to 80% of the area median income (AMI). AMI in our community for a single individual is $116,900 a year, and HUD has set the income limit for a single person at 80% AMI as $66,100 a year. You can find more information on Vancouver and Clark County Area Median Income, Fair Market Rents (FMR) and rent limits, and Federal Poverty Limits (FPL) here:
https://clark.wa.gov/community-services/income-guidelines
and
https://www.cityofvancouver.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-HUD-CDBG-Income-Limits-Chart.pdf
No neighborhoods in Vancouver were singled out or excluded in the search for a potential Bridge Shelter property. This was a very similar process to what we utilized to locate properties for the four Safe Stay Communities that we’ve opened since 2021. Staff used a set of site selection criteria to identify a property:
- Located on or near a transit line
- Near services
- Appropriately zoned for this use (Commercial, in this case)
- Large enough to accommodate a 150-bed shelter (at least 2.5 acres)
- In Vancouver City limits
Housing and shelter developments are different types of land uses and require different types of zoning. There are both shelters and housing (of all types) all over the city. Seven of the 12 existing year-round shelters with any beds available to adults without children are located west of I-5.
We’ve seen a great deal of success at the Safe Stay Communities without placing arbitrary time limits on shelter stays. Instead, we work with folks to identify and address their barriers to housing. This helps increase the odds that they are able to sustain their housing long-term once they obtain it. These sites have done a great job at pairing compassionate service delivery with appropriate accountability.
Safe Stay Communities are just one example of a low-barrier approach that is effective, particularly given that we are currently in a housing crisis. It’s appropriate to provide people with the opportunity to move at a pace that meets their unique needs and the support needed to meet those needs vs. utilizing a one-size-fits-all approach. The reasons people entered homelessness and/or remain homeless are as varied and diverse as the number of people experiencing it. Everyone’s path out of homelessness will look a little different — for some it will begin with employment, others may start at treatment, some will reconnect with family, and some may, in fact, utilize the judicial system at some point on their journey. Meeting individual needs while also holding them accountable for behavior is not enabling — these are fundamental components of recovery. There is no singular solution for everyone.
Share Why is our neighborhood being singled out for this type of housing? We already have an apartment complex that serves the homeless population just east of the mall and now the plan is to add this bridge shelter? We live in the Walnut Grove neighborhood just north of this proposed site, why are we just now hearing about this? on Facebook Share Why is our neighborhood being singled out for this type of housing? We already have an apartment complex that serves the homeless population just east of the mall and now the plan is to add this bridge shelter? We live in the Walnut Grove neighborhood just north of this proposed site, why are we just now hearing about this? on Twitter Share Why is our neighborhood being singled out for this type of housing? We already have an apartment complex that serves the homeless population just east of the mall and now the plan is to add this bridge shelter? We live in the Walnut Grove neighborhood just north of this proposed site, why are we just now hearing about this? on Linkedin Email Why is our neighborhood being singled out for this type of housing? We already have an apartment complex that serves the homeless population just east of the mall and now the plan is to add this bridge shelter? We live in the Walnut Grove neighborhood just north of this proposed site, why are we just now hearing about this? link

Why is our neighborhood being singled out for this type of housing? We already have an apartment complex that serves the homeless population just east of the mall and now the plan is to add this bridge shelter? We live in the Walnut Grove neighborhood just north of this proposed site, why are we just now hearing about this?

Pat Roe asked about 1 month ago
No neighborhoods in Vancouver were singled out or excluded in the search for a potential Bridge Shelter property. This was a very similar process to what we utilized to locate properties for the four Safe Stay Communities that we’ve opened since 2021.
Staff used a set of site selection criteria to identify a property:
- Located on or near a transit line
- Near services
- Appropriately zoned for this use (Commercial, in this case)
- Large enough to accommodate a 150-bed shelter (at least 2.5 acres)
- In Vancouver City limits
Housing and shelter developments are different types of land uses and require different types of zoning. There are both shelters and housing (of all types) that exist all over the city. Seven of the 12 existing year-round shelters with any beds available to adults without children are located west of I-5.
We shared the proposal of using this location on 8/12, which is when the property became available to the City for potential use. Typically, project developments are publicized and open for public comment much closer to permitting and land-use decisions. The City has committed to robust community engagement efforts prior to that time to allow us to answer community questions, hear concerns, and get community input and feedback regarding project viability and potential impacts to ensure we have all of the information needed to identify potential mitigation strategies and make a final decision.

Page last updated: 12 Sep 2024, 12:52 PM

Bridge Shelter

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Do you understand how close this is to 2 childcare centers and a public park?

I want to donate towels, bed pillows and blankets. What is your procedure for me to do this.

How will this shelter ensure that those coming for services will not infiltrate the neighborhood and cause an increase in crime. We already have to check the park for needles before our kids can play there as it is. The shelf is just too close to families and daycare centers.

Isn't creating more services going to get us invaded from Portland's homeless since they are tearing their camps down and enforcing drug laws starting soon? Seems like an idea to get Vancouver to pay for Portland's problems.

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