On Thursday, April 12, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether the county should sell Wapato Jail, a remote, 525-bed facility that’s never been used. Should the deal go through, the jail will be leveled and the land resold. But if County Commissioner Loretta Smith gets her way, Wapato will remain county property—and be converted into a massive shelter for hundreds of Portland’s homeless residents.
“We are not suggesting that we warehouse the homeless, but what we are saying… is that this facility can play a pivotal role in our community,” Smith said at an April 2 press conference held in front of the empty jail. “Our homeless crisis is real.” No members of the homeless community were present.
Wapato has been a costly, embarrassing burden on the county for more than a decade. Shortly after building the $58 million facility in 2004, Multnomah County was forced to make major budget cuts, leaving Wapato with no operational funds. Every year since, the county’s paid $300,000 to maintain the vacant jail.
