The Columbia Inn Shelter's recent ribbon cutting celebrated a new resource for individuals and families facing homelessness.
“This shelter opening brings to life one of the core goals of Clatsop County’s strategic plan where the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners recognized the great need for housing in our community, ranging from shelter services to affordable housing,” said Mark Kujala, Clatsop County Board of Commissioners Chair.
“The Columbia Inn will provide a place of refuge for individuals and families who need and want to regain their foothold in our community. This will be that important first step to stabilizing their lives and beginning to build a solid future for themselves and their loved ones. This ribbon-cutting speaks to the power and momentum that comes when people come together to address a human need.”
The Columbia Inn is one part of a multi-prong, county-wide approach to meet transitional and permanent housing needs. The County will contract with Clatsop Community Action to operate the facility. CCA will in turn collaborate with a number of social service providers including The Harbor and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare.
The Columbia Inn Shelter is a result of Project Turnkey 2.0, a State of Oregon initiative launched in 2020 which funded the purchase of 32 new shelter properties in 18 counties.
Operations funding for the Columbia Inn Shelter was included in HB 5019, passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2023, to provide statewide resources to address Governor Kotek's Homelessness State of Emergency
In just over three years, this public-private initiative has delivered powerful returns on the state’s investment, including more than 121,000 nights of refuge and stabilizing services for over 2,000 adults and children.
- Oregon Community Foundation