Right To Dream Too homeless camp opens in new location near Moda Center

PORTLAND, Ore. — After years of struggling to find a new location in Portland, the homeless camp known as Right To Dream Too opened its doors for the first time since moving to the Rose Quarter.

Right To Dream Too now sits on some Portland Bureau of Transportation land between the Moda Center and the Willamette River. Members and volunteers spent the past month building the camp.

“I think this is a really good location, right next to transit, which is something which we wanted,” said Sarah Chandler, chairperson for Right To Dream Too. “It's not downtown, which we really wanted, but it's still pretty close to services.”

A spokesperson with Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office says Right To Dream Too will be allowed to stay in this new location till at least October, when the housing emergency expires. They could potentially stay in this Rose Quarter location for up to two years.

Right To Dream Too is a unique place for homeless to sleep in Portland. The camp polices itself and enforces its own code of conduct. No alcohol, no drugs, no violence, no weapons, no sex, and more.

About a dozen members live in the camp permanently and run everything. Benson High School students built 10 “tiny homes” for members to sleep in at the new location. Overnight guests will sleep in newly built rooms with padded floors. As many as 85 overnight guests will be able to sleep in the new location, an increase of about 20 compared to the Old Town location.

Separate sleeping areas are designated for men, women, and couples.

“Couples are hard to get into shelter space,” said Chandler. “It's hard to find shelters that will take couples, especially if you're not legally married. We accept all couples whether it's father-son, mother-daughter -- we don't care if you're gay.”

Perhaps the best part of the new location, according to Chandler, is the pavement.

“Pavement, so much better than gravel. We were on gravel at the old site and it was really hard to get wheelchairs in and out of gravel, so I'm excited for the pavement,” said Chandler.

Right To Dream Too members continually meet with their nearby neighborhood association, the Lloyd District, along with City Council. The mayor’s office continues to have conversations with neighboring businesses and neighborhoods that includes exploring putting together a good neighbor agreement.

Members of the Lloyd District and the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods say the response has largely been supportive in surrounding communities. They say both sides are in constant communication and willing to work together.

A spokesperson with the Moda Center says they support what the city is trying to do with homelessness and are working with Right To Dream Too. He says they have not had many complaints about their new neighbors.

Right To Dream Too moved into the area during a break in the professional basketball season. Chandler says they are waiting to see if problems arise when Trail Blazers games begin in the fall across the street and fans come to the Moda Center. She hopes there are not any.