St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church at 7600 N. Hereford Ave. in the Portsmouth neighborhood officially opened its tiny home village in early March. The micro-village will offer ten adults a safe space while they access services leading to permanent housing.
St. Andrew’s parish decided in early 2023 to create the village in an under-used parking lot in order to help unhoused neighbors. The church’s vicar, the Rev. Jennifer Creswell, said that decision is in keeping with the church’s longstanding commitment to open its space for community use.
Before undertaking the project, Creswell talked with neighbors and nonprofits about how the church might help provide emergency shelter. Those conversations led Creswell to Janet McManus, a retired social worker, and the executive director of WeShine PDX. The organization eventually partnered with the parish to create St. Andrew’s Village. It will be WeShine’s third micro-village in Portland.
from We Shine.
Courtesy of We Shine.
Under the WeShine model, staff will work with villagers to develop plans to find permanent housing.
Some parishioners and neighbors have expressed concern about the project, fearing safety issues and the potential for increased drug use near the village. Creswell said they may have been relieved to hear from We Shine representatives about expectations for villagers.
St. Andrew’s Village will prioritize homeless people who are 45 years or older and have physical disabilities, and those who may otherwise fall through the cracks in the housing system, including BIPOC and LGBT individuals, or those who have been camping nearby.
The church basement will also be made available to villagers, after the city and the Episcopal diocese helped fund the installation of a lift to make it ADA accessible. In addition to an existing commercial kitchen, the basement space has been developed to include showers, accessible bathrooms and laundry facilities. Future plans for the site include a community garden, which would allow parishioners and villagers to work together to tend it.
