The City is engaging community members in the development, design, and operations of the future year-round shelter. 

Virtual Community Meeting: August 7, 2025 at 11 am

See details above or visit Engage Hillsboro to register to attend.

Neighborhood Plan: Upcoming

Neighborhood Plans are an agreement made by the shelter operator and Washington County to ensure each shelter location is a supportive neighbor.

Following the informational Community Meeting, nearby residents & businesses will be invited to engage in developing the Neighborhood Plan to guide communication & collaborative problem-solving for PHC and close neighbors. The completed Plan will be shared later this fall.

Engage Hillsboro

Community members can explore the project and ask questions on Engage Hillsboro.

Year-Round Shelter Survey: Spring 2022 to Spring 2024

Questions from the focus groups were adapted to a survey on Engage Hillsboro that was open spring 2022 through March 15, 2024. 

Paired with feedback from our spring 2022 stakeholder focus groups, the results will inform:

• Shelter design & architecture
  
  
• Selection of a shelter operator
  
  
• Elements of the shelter's Good Neighbor Agreement

Survey results will be posted to Engage Hillsboro in April.

Outreach to Nearby Neighbors: Spring 2022

• Flyers introducing the project in English & Spanish were mailed to residents and businesses within one mile of the site.
  
  
• City and Washington County staff completed in-person visits to 23 nearby businesses.
  
  
• Bilingual signage was posted at Dairy Creek Park to engage park users.

Focus Groups: Spring 2022

Focus groups in English and Spanish were facilitated by a third party in the spring of 2022 to get early high-level feedback from the following community members: 

• People who live, work, or own businesses near the shelter site
  
  
• People who visit Dairy Creek Park
  
  
• People experiencing or who have experienced houselessness and service providers

Shelter and access center programs act as the “front door” of Washington County's homeless system of care. They provide emergency services including hygiene, nutrition, and safe sleep, while also helping to connect families and individuals to housing, employment and supportive case management.

Shelter Access

To access shelter or homelessness resources, community members may contact Community Connect at 503-640-3263, work with staff at day centers or access centers, or visit Washington County's Homeless Resources webpage.

During dangerous weather, Washington County's severe weather shelters open temporarily to ensure no one seeking shelter will be turned away. When these shelters open, we publish updates on our Weather Safety webpage. 

Visit Washington County's Shelters webpage to learn more.

The City of Hillsboro is grateful to our community partners, Washington County and Open Door HousingWorks, for working together to meet the community’s urgent needs for life-saving shelter and services by providing the temporary Safe Rest Pods on SW 17th Avenue.

The temporary shelter closed at the end of October to clear the property for year-round shelter construction.

Latest News

• Safe Rest Pods — Now Closed — Connected 111 Guests to Housing Assessments, November 21 2024
  
  
• Safe Rest Pods to Provide Shelter Through October, August 26, 2024
  
  
• Elected Officials & Community Partners Celebrate the Safe Rest Pods Reopening, December 12, 2023
  
  
• Safe Rest Pods to Reopen in December: Project Update & Frequently Asked Questions, November 28, 2023
  
  
• Safe Rest Pods Reopening with Upgraded Shelters, October 23, 2023
  
  
• Safe Rest Pods to Move to Cornelius, May 25, 2023

• Community Support for Guests at the Safe Rest Pods, December 30, 2022
  
  
• Safe Rest Pods Open: More Than a Place to Sleep, October 24, 2022
  
  
• Council Conversation: We Share Your Concerns about Homelessness, August 24, 2022
  
  
• Safe Rest Pods on SW 17th Avenue will Provide Life-Saving Temporary Shelter, August 18, 2022

Services Provided

• Mental health, housing navigation, and employment support
• 24/7 onsite staff with training in trauma-informed care and safety
• Emergency beds for first responder referrals
• Increased storage capacity
• Showers, restrooms, drinking water, and trash service
• Communal dining & gathering spaces
• Mobile office
• Internet access
• Smoking and support animal spaces

Operations & Funding

• Washington County: Funding and coordinating shelter program operations, providing pallet shelters, supporting communications
• Open Door HousingWorks: Managing shelter program, site operations, and outreach
• City of Hillsboro: Providing property, funding site preparation, supporting coordination and communications

Pallet Shelters

• Purchased & owned by Washington County
• 64 square feet of living space
• Heating, cooling, and electrical outlets
• Lockable door and window
• Insulated floor, walls, and roof
• Portable design that can be taken down and rebuilt or moved intact

In the fall of 2022, the City of Hillsboro, Washington County, and Open Door HousingWorks acted quickly to provide unhoused community members with temporary emergency shelter near Dairy Creek Park.

From October 2022 through June 2023, the Safe Rest Pods met critical community needs, mitigated unmanaged camping, and connected people experiencing homelessness to permanent housing options. 

In summer 2023, Washington County moved the Conestoga Hut shelters to a new, longer-term location in Cornelius. The Cornelius Pod Village opened in September 2023 and is operated by Open Door HousingWorks with funding & support from Washington County’s Homeless Services Division.

(Image of Conestoga Huts provided by Community Supported Shelters.)

Video

Watch Washington County's video to learn more about the 2022-2023 shelter site and hear from stakeholders, including Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway.