With the opening of a new transitional housing shelter in Clackamas, 24 individuals will begin their path toward permanent housing.

Elected officials including Gov. Tina Kotek and Clackamas County Board Chair Craig Roberts celebrated the grand opening of Clackamas Village — a community of pod shelters that will house 24 adults experiencing homelessness and provide them with round-the-clock services and support — during a ceremony Wednesday, May 14.

Clackamas Village, which cost $4.8 million to build and will require $1.5 million annually to maintain, was funded with the help of the Metro regional government’s Supportive Housing Services measure.

The facility has bedroom units as well as a kitchen and office space and will be staffed with 14 people from Sunstone Way, which provides wrap-around services for those experiencing homelessness. Some of the services provided include peer support and help with getting a job, obtaining a driver’s license, navigating housing and voucher systems, mental health support, food benefits and more.

In her speech at the event, Kotek said she was impressed by how detail-oriented and trauma informed the facility is. Some aspects include sound-proofed rooms, colors that evoke calm and natural light that fosters a feeling of home.

“These little details are not little at all. They are caring in action. They tell our neighbors that we see your humanity, and we see what you’ve been through, and we’re here to help,” Kotek said, adding: “The people who will stay here have been struggling for a long time. Here they are going to find hope and they are going to receive healthcare, meals, camaraderie and live-changing support.”

Nancy Anne Smith, chief operating officer for Sunstone, said in an interview that the goal is to get people ready for more permanent housing within 180 days, but that can sometimes be tricky when housing and vouchers are not available. Individuals can stay longer if needed.

“We’re up against a lot of barriers and we just keep going and try to be creative,” Smith said.

However, Smith said that the village is not a holding ground for people who aren’t going to work to take steps towards more self sustainability and added that it will be important for staff to establish relationships with the participants and to be flexible based on what each individual needs and is comfortable with. Earning the trust of those who have experienced homelessness and other traumas can take time, Smith added.

“We are going to prove ourselves to the participants that we are there to help and that we are interested in them,” Sith said.

The county pointed out that, with the opening of Clackamas Village as well as other efforts including shelters at the Clackamas County Stabilization Center (which provides short-term behavioral health support and recovery), the county is increasing the number of shelter spaces it provides from 214 to 266.

Still, as Metro Councilor Christine Lewis, Kotek and others mentioned, the housing and homelessness crisis is far from solved. For instance, the county’s recent homelessness count showed a slight uptick in homelessness from 2023 to 2025 despite continued investments.

“For every 10 people we house, 15 more are falling into homelessness. We have to keep working together to create more affordable housing options and interventions like these if we are ever going to help plug the hole in the bucket and I am up for the challenge — and I know you are too,” Lewis said at the event.

Kotek similarly said that despite progress made (she noted that the state will have added housing for 3,300 households, prevented another 24,000 from experiencing homelessness added another 4,800 shelter beds since she issued a statewide homelessness emergency two years ago), the state still needs to find ways to add more housing by reducing red tape that prevents housing production.

“This inspires me, it energizes me to see what is happening on the ground. Because we can do it, one success at a time, one Clackamas Village at a time,” Kotek said.

Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas expressed pride in the work the county and its partners have done to add Clackamas Village as well as the nearby village for veterans in need of support (which opened in 2018). But he also was concerned that conditions continue to be ripe for more homelessness and issues with housing affordability.

“We wouldn’t be here today without Supportive Housing Services dollars and we need those resources,” Savas said, adding: “We have an economic trend that worries me and keeps me up at night that we don’t have the resources and the economic environment where housing is affordable … We need more, we need to do more and we need the resources to do that. I’m hoping the state can help out.”