By year’s end, a new homeless shelter in Hillsboro could help 75 adults without adequate housing get off the street.
The Hillsboro Year-round Shelter, located on the west side of the city off Baseline Street, is a collaboration between the city of Hillsboro, Washington County and Metro, as well as the state and federal government. Local service provider Project Homeless Connect, which will run the shelter, plans to open the facility in late fall and increase the number of residents to reach full capacity by the end of the year.
Private rooms soon to be available in Hillsboro’s new Year-Round Shelter in Hillsboro, Ore., Aug. 28, 2025. The project is estimated to be finished and housing residents by the end of 2025, hosting around 75 individuals when at-capacity.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
The project, which includes 40 individual shelter pods and 35 beds in a congregate sleeping area, broke ground earlier this year. The shelter is considered “low-barrier,” meaning a background check won’t be required for people to stay at the shelter. The shelter also will not mandate qualifications for its residents, like sobriety or enrollment in any programs.
Pets will also be allowed at the shelter, which will have a small dog park next to the pods.
While Washington County currently has a dozen other shelters able to serve people experiencing homelessness, four of those facilities are slated to close in the future. The county’s shelters are also commonly at or near capacity, according to county housing public relations supervisor Emily Roots.
While touring the still-under-construction shelter Thursday with U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, local officials highlighted how the project would not be possible without close collaboration between governments, especially funding from Metro’s 2020 supportive housing services measure. Metro’s measure provided $8.3 million of the $17 million project, while the rest of the cost was covered by a mix of city, state and federal dollars.
“Our year-round shelter project showcases how government agencies and nonprofit partners can work together to meet the needs of people living unsheltered and preserve community livability for everyone,” Hillsboro Mayor Beach Pace said.
The Hillsboro Year-Round Shelter dining area under construction in Hillsboro, Ore., Aug. 28, 2025. The project is estimated to be finished and housing residents by the end of 2025, hosting around 75 individuals when at-capacity.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
The shelter will have security on-site 24/7. Pace added that in planning the facility, the project partners spoke with neighbors as well as people experiencing homelessness to make sure the shelter fit everyone’s needs.
Washington County department of housing and homeless services strategic relations manager Nicole Stingh said prior to the passage of the Metro measure in 2020, Washington County had no overnight shelter beds. Today, the county has more than 400 across a dozen shelters.
In addition to the shelters, Stingh said, the housing measure has helped the county develop an entire “system of care” with day centers where people can access housing support, behavioral health services and food assistance.
While the Metro measure has given the county a jump start in providing shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness, there were still nearly 1,000 people living unhoused in Washington County during a January point-in-time count. Of those 940 people, 701 had access to some sort of shelter, while 239 were unsheltered.
A private room soon to be offered in the new year-round shelter being constructed in Hillsboro, Ore., Aug. 28, 2025. The project is estimated to be finished and housing residents by the end of 2025, hosting around 75 individuals when at-capacity.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
Stingh noted funding for the ongoing services could end if Metro’s measure is not renewed. The housing measure aimed to prevent people at risk of homelessness from becoming homeless and help people find housing through affordable housing programs, rental assistance, homeless shelters and other services.
Funding from the 10-year measure is set to expire in 2030. Earlier this year, the Metro Council decided it would not pursue a renewal of the measure in the upcoming November election. The council decided to “reform” the tax before putting another measure before voters.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici discusses Hillsboro’s Year-Round Shelter currently in construction in Hillsboro, Ore., Aug. 28, 2025. The project is estimated to be finished and housing residents by the end of 2025, hosting around 75 individuals when at-capacity.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
“Tens of thousands of people are supported in housing thanks to the supportive housing services measures,” Stingh said. “These are vital resources across the region, and we’re so grateful to have them.”
Resources like those funded by the Metro measure are even more critical as funding for other safety nets like SNAP and Medicaid face threats, Bonamici added.
If cuts outlined in the recently passed Republican “Big Beautiful Bill” take effect, they will lead to more people in Oregon struggling to make ends meet, the congresswoman said.
“The lack of coverage for health insurance, the hunger issues that will result from people not getting SNAP benefits could very well result in more need for supportive services and more need for places like this year-round shelter,” Bonamici said.
