The Oxford Street Shelter That  Will Start Offering on-site Services to its Clients on Wednesday, December 13, 2017.

The city of Portland announced today that starting on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, it will begin offering on-site shelter services at the Oxford Street Shelter;  that means that clients do not have to leave the Shelter during the day according to a press release issued by the city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin.

For far too long, clients have had to leave each morning with no place to go.  Now, clients will have the option to remain in a safe place during the day with their belongings, which will improve their quality of life as well as the downtown area and surrounding community.

Operating a day shelter at Oxford Street will not replace the need for a new shelter.  The current Oxford Street is leased, poorly configured and expensive to staff given its layout. A new shelter would allow the city to reduce staffing costs and provide meals on-site as well as a wide range of mental and health services to assist clients in getting back on a path to self-sufficiency.

Plans for a new shelter are preliminary.  No site has been picked nor an architect selected for the project.  (Maybe the new shelter could go on the city owned property Amethyst Lot on the Portland waterfront – just kidding!)

For more background information on the subject, please see post dated October 24, 2017 herein.