Wapato Corrections Facility is a Multnomah County jail constructed in 2003 in the heavy industrial area of St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. It was never put into service and remained vacant, but preserved. As of May 2020, a lease has been signed for repurposing into a homeless shelter under the name Bybee Lakes Hope Center.
History
The Wapato Detention Facility was funded in 1996 by a bond measure defined by Multnomah County Commissioners in Resolution 96-122, and promoted by District Attorney Mike Schrunk and law enforcement as a response to Measure 11. The facility in St.Johns neighborhood built by the Hoffman Construction Company has sat empty since construction halted in 2003. In March 2017, a California based developer offered $10 million for the property. In November 2017 Multnomah County commissioners voted to sell Wapato to Kehoe Northwest Properties for $10.8 million. On April 12th, 2018 a hearing was held to in which an alternative offer from Kehoe of $5 million was approved. The proceeds from the sale of Wapato were then marked to be used to create permanent housing. As of April 17, 2019 the property is owned by developer Jordan Schnitzer and is estimated to have a value of $8.7 million. Budget limitations prevented the county from opening the facility and it has never housed an inmate, getting only incidental use such as for movie shoots. It has since become infamous, being featured by media such as CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Proposed repurposing
In 2015 a petition was created online to refit the facility to house the homeless and in August 2016 Multnomah County CommissionerLoretta Smith also further supported the effort. After the sale of the jail to Jordan Schnitzer he also received offers to convert Wapato to a homeless shelter and rejected them because of "cost and distance from other public services". In April 2019, a proposal was made by Kay Toran, who has been the president of Oregon Volunteers of America since 1999, to create a residential treatment program at the facility for adults experiencing addiction and mental health problems. The proposal received support from Schnitzer who called it "fabulous". Before the proposal, Schnitzer had considered using the site as a warehouse for one of his businesses, Harsch Investment Properties. Toran says that if the plan does not receive funding support in the next few years it would likely not be doable. In October 2019, Schnitzer announced that the plans to convert the facility into a community wellness center to serve the local homeless population had fallen flat. He cited low funding for renovation and a lack of support from elected officials and homeless advocacy organizations in drawing this conclusion. As such, he said, the facility would likely be demolished by the end of 2019. It was announced in February 2020 that Wapato jail is on track to be renovated into a 228-bed homeless facility with expected opening of September 2020. $4 million US in funds have been raised so far, which is enough to operate it for two years without any structural changes. In May 2020, the building's owner signed a lease with Bybee Lakes Hope Center for this purpose. The facility is located in the heavy industrial, aircraft landing zone overlay area. Previously land use regulations prevented its use as a homeless shelter.
Emergency temporary facility for COVID-19 patients
Local media outlets reported on March 19th 2020 that the facility owner Jordan Schnitzer and the Oregon Health Authority are in discussion about opening up the facility as a treatment center for COVID-19 Coronavirus patients who need in-patient care, but do not need ICU care. Schnitzer commented that he hoped to have the facility ready for this purpose by the end of March, 2020.
