How state money has shaped sheltering in Salem
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State money has helped 600 households in Marion and Polk Counties get off the streets and into shelters and apartments in the past two years, according to a report that the Mid-Willamette Valley Homeless Alliance reviewed in their meeting this month.
The report shared an update of the local impact from Gov. Tina Kotek’s focus on expanding shelter beds and addressing homelessness across Oregon.
Lawmakers allocated $1.2 billion statewide toward housing and homelessness in 2023, plus an additional $600 million in 2024.
Kotek in January 2023 issued an executive order with a goal of creating 600 new shelter beds statewide and moving 1,200 households from a shelter into their own apartment or home. The state has exceeded those goals, but remains far behind a target for preventing households from becoming homeless.
Locally, that money went to programs that sheltered 417 households in Marion and Polk counties and moved 189 people from shelters into rentals, home ownership or a permanent place to live with friends or family, according to the report. The report doesn’t include the total funding allocated toward Marion and Polk Counties.
The state money helped add over 200 shelter beds across eight shelters in the region, including new shelters in Salem, Monmouth, Dallas and Silverton. It also allowed several micro shelters in Salem operated by Church at the Park to continue after the city of Salem stopped funding them last year.
“The continuum of services in Salem has never been more robust thanks to county partners, homeless and housing providers, private landlords and each and every employee working with people day in and day out,” said Jeremy Gordon, a Polk County Commissioner and chair of the homeless alliance’s board.
Marion and Polk counties were second only to Lane County for rehousing the most people in Oregon with state money, according to data from October. The two counties rehoused 84 people by then, exceeding Multnomah County.
Here’s what the state money paid for in Salem from January 2023 through February 2025, according to the report:
September 2023: Church at the Park opened its micro shelter for 38 young adults between ages 18 and 24 years old, housed in trailers on Southeast Turner Road. The shelter has helped 42 households move into permanent housing. The state agreed to pay $2.5 million over two years, ending in June 2025, to run the site.
January 2024: Catholic Community Services’ family micro shelter site, operated by Church at the park, expanded from 100 to 132 beds. Since then, 37 households have moved into permanent housing. The site received $3.9 million in state money for 18 months of operations ending June 2025.
February 2024: United Way’s SafeSleep United women’s shelter, which first opened in 2019, more than doubled its capacity with 31 new beds, more restrooms and a new kitchen. That’s helped 27 households move into permanent housing.
March 2024: Center for Hope & Safety’s Mosaic Shelter added 20 new beds in 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for survivors of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault and human trafficking. The shelter has 26 households move into permanent housing.
March 2025: Most recently, the ARCHES Nest opened at 2933 Center St. N.E., providing space for 36 homeless infants, children, parents and relatives. The building was previously a transitional shelter for homeless veterans which moved into the ARCHES Lodge, a repurposed hotel. It took $1.8 million from Kotek’s order to transform the space to suit families.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
