Bridge Shelter

On Dec. 16, 2024, the Vancouver City Council voted in favor of a purchase and sale agreement for 5313 N.E. 94^th Ave. The City is currently working with an engineering and architecture firm to design a bridge shelter at this location.

Design work is being informed by community feedback, shared last fall, and input from the City’s nonprofit support provider, Do Good Multnomah. The team looks forward to sharing updates with the City Council and community later this spring. To receive the latest updates, please sign up for the project mailing list.

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.