Washington County's network of homeless shelters and access centers is growing, and Tigard sits at the center of the expansion.
The Just Compassion Access Center at 12264 SW Hall Blvd. in Tigard, the county's first purpose-built access center, completed construction in spring 2025 and now provides 60 shelter beds along with housing navigation, behavioral health services and case management.
A third access center, operated by Open Door HousingWorks, will open this fall in Cornelius to serve western Washington County residents, joining the Tigard site and a Hillsboro location run by Project Homeless Connect.
The county currently maintains 440 beds and rooms across its emergency shelter system. Four years ago, no year-round shelter beds existed for single adults in Washington County.
One resident's path from tent to apartment
The county illustrated the program's impact in an account published Aug. 6 through the story of Kelle, a longtime Oregon resident who lost the Banks home where she worked as a caretaker in a house fire that killed three pets. She and her partner Lance, who was legally blind, escaped with little more than the clothes on their backs and pitched a tent near the fire site.
Kelle spent more than six months without electricity, running water or protection from the elements. In 2023, she stopped to pick up a food box at the Open Door HousingWorks day center in Cornelius. Outreach staff submitted a shelter referral on her behalf.
"I got a phone call saying there was a place for us to go," Kelle said. "I couldn't believe it."
One week later, she moved into the Hillsboro Safe Rest Pods. Lance later passed away while they were in shelter.
With guidance from case manager Elly Smith, who received the inaugural Housing Services Community CARES award in fall 2025, Kelle secured a long-term housing voucher and moved into a Hillsboro apartment. She and Smith celebrated the move-in with pizza.
Kelle was later diagnosed with lung disease but remains stably housed, aging in place in the community she first moved to in 1989.
Program exceeds goals countywide
The shelter system is funded by a voter-approved Metro measure passed in May 2020. According to a Metro report on fiscal year 2024-25 results, Washington County placed nearly 500 households in permanent supportive housing, exceeding its goal of 450. The program also moved more than 370 households into rapid re-housing and provided stabilization services to almost 1,150 households.
Over 700 individuals moved from county shelters into permanent housing during the fiscal year, according to data presented by Assistant Director of Homeless Services Jes Larson to the Board of County Commissioners in April. The Department of Housing Services served more than 20,700 residents across all programs and sent $89 million in rental assistance payments to nearly 1,500 landlord partners.
What's next
The Cornelius access center will be the county's third such facility. When fully operational, Washington County's access centers are planned to be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., providing meals, storage, showers and connections to shelter and housing services. They also activate as emergency shelters during extreme heat and cold.
The Tigard site is accessible via TriMet bus Lines 12 and 43. Residents seeking shelter or housing services can contact Washington County's Department of Housing Services at 503-846-4794 or email [email protected].
