Will Multnomah County OK Bybee Lakes emergency funds?

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- An emergency motion to provide Bybee Lakes Hope Center with funding through the end of the year will be voted on Thursday by the Multnomah County Commission.

The North Portland shelter -- formerly the unused Wapato Jail -- is run by Helping Hands Re-entry Outreach Centers. It opened in 2020 and currently provides 175 shelter beds.

Up until now, it's been funded by private donors but donations have dried up. Donors don’t want to keep paying for the shelter when there are millions of taxpayer dollars available from a metro area tax.

Bybee Lakes officials is asking for $5 million. Multnomah County is offering just under $1 million. County commissioners plan to vote Thursday on where to spend the millions of dollars collected from the Metro Supportive Housing Tax and Bybee Lakes Hope Center is on that list.

The shelter could close by this weekend unless commissioners approve funding.

KOIN 6 News will have more information later in the day.