Dignity Village is an intentional community for the homeless. We provide year-round shelter and safety off the street for up to sixty people every night.
It sits on City of Portland-owned land, and shares the lot with the municipal leaf composting facility. There are forty-three basic dwelling structures, hosting 50-60 residents in the Village. The vast majority of the structures are made from recycled or reclaimed materials. Dignity Village has an incredibly low environmental impact, as resource use is minimal.
Dignity Village is a cross between a shelter option and an intentional community. We partner with JOIN to provide mobile housing services. We encourage people to work on getting into permanent housing. However, we also recognize that getting into housing can be a lengthy process full of barriers and we value longevity in leadership. Therefore we have no limit to length of stay. That said, our median length of stay is 1.8 yrs.
Living conditions are sparse at Dignity Village. Each residence comes with a bed and a propane heater. The individual units have very limited electricity in them (enough for a light, computer, and cell phone). The common shared areas have substantial electricity. The individual units don’t have running water– there are two shared sinks, one shower, and several portable toilets. We are working on replacing the current shower building with new building that will have flush toilets, shower, and a laundry room.
Villagers pay $100 monthly program fees and the rest of their operating budget comes from micro-business revenues, grants, and private donations. Dignity Village covers all their operating expenses through this way, including utilities such as electricity, internet, waste removal, portable toilet service and water.
What happens when you have a partner who is also homeless? Or a pet who you rely on for companionship, protection or support for a disability? In a typical agency-managed shelter, you’re not permitted to stay with your partner or your pet. At Dignity Village, we welcome couples and pets, and foster the dignity that comes with making your own choice about who stays with you (bringing in roommates is a process, check with leadership for details).
We’re the first and the longest-existing, city-sanctioned Village Model shelter in the United States. Dignity Village designed the Village Model in 2000.
For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page https://dignityvillage.org/faq/
Dignity Village 