Multnomah County considers design for drug defense center

PORTLAND, Ore. — The expected opening date for a drug detection center is just over two weeks away. Multnomah County officials are reviewing a draft document that would describe both that temporary facility and a more permanent facility that isn't expected to open until 2026.

Starting September 1, simple drug possession will again be a crime in Oregon. This is the result of a law passed this spring that partially rolls back Measure 110. The law gives counties the freedom to set up a “diversion program” that directs people caught in possession of drugs to treatment and services instead of sending them to jail and law enforcement.

A group led by Multnomah County Chairwoman Jessica Vega Pederson previously released details of the county's diversion plans, which give people 30 days to contact rehabilitation services after being evaluated at the diversion center or face arrest and prosecution.

Details about the diversion center itself, however, are still being developed. This week, the county began circulating a 57-page draft outlining what officials have considered so far. When completed, the document is expected to govern the operation of both this temporary diversion center and a future more permanent facility.

The tight timeline for the diversion center, located near Southeast Sandy Boulevard in Portland's Central Eastside, gave residents little opportunity to participate in the planning process – causing great concern among some.

Under the draft plan, Multnomah County would hire on-site security, with two guards stationed there 24 hours a day, costing the county $740,000 in the first 10 months. The county's own security teams would patrol the block and call 911 if they detect an emergency or criminal activity.

“In my view, this is more of a fig leaf – a lot of empty talk but no real substance,” said David Watnick.

Watnick is an attorney representing Escuela Viva, a preschool located about 480 feet from the diversion center. It is outside the area designated for safety patrols in Multnomah County's plan, which is a major concern for Watnick.

Security guards are supposed to tell people camping or loitering in the immediate vicinity of the diversion center to move on, but enforcement is left to police. For people like Watnick, that leaves the possibility that people released from the diversion center will end up loitering near Escuela Viva.

While the draft plan covers things like transportation to and from the facility, it is light on details. As for getting to the facility, that will largely be handled by first responders at this stage of the process. However, the plan calls for five different transportation options for those departing, and it is unclear whether Multnomah County has already arranged any of them, or to what extent, and whether transportation will be required for people visiting the diversion center.

Earlier this month, Watnick wrote to the county on behalf of the school, asking that the center's opening be delayed because it could create an unsafe environment for the children, including his own.

READ MORE: Portland preschool threatens lawsuit to prevent opening of nearby diversion center

“We are prepared to file suit to obtain a court order blocking the Sept. 1 opening if the county intends to do so and does not make any truly significant changes,” he said.

Watnick's view is at least partially supported by the county council. This week, Commissioner Sharon Meieran called for a 90-day delay in the center's opening.

“I'm dismayed, I'm frustrated,” she said. “We were supposed to open in two and a half weeks – we have no safety plan, we have no operational plans.”

Meanwhile, the county has formed a committee to develop a “framework” for a good neighbor agreement by September 1. A draft is to be reviewed next week, but a final agreement is not expected until after the diversion center opens.

County leaders acknowledged that the Sept. 1 deadline was tight, calling it a “challenge” in the draft plan. They have indicated they are willing to move the deadline if necessary.

“What the community should know is that Multnomah County plans to implement its plan as long as everything is ready and all questions are answered,” said Ryan Yambra, a Multnomah County spokesman. “The county is working at breakneck speed to be ready on September 1.”

While the diversion center is designed to be a 24-hour drop-off facility, the county said it may not be open 24 hours a day when it opens. Tuerk House, the Baltimore-based recovery organization tasked with operating it, is still working to hire the necessary staff.

And speaking of staff, ideally the facility should be completed a few days before opening so that employees can familiarize themselves with the building and their work in it. But if the building isn't finished yet, that may not happen.

Work to renovate the building continued this week; KGW spotted a painting team there on Friday morning.

It's unclear whether the diversion center's basic services will also be ready in time for a smooth Sept. 1 launch, but overall the draft plan calls for a gradual buildout in three phases, starting with a place for people who agree to diversion to receive assessments, screenings and access to treatment and services. While those people can stay and “recover,” their stays will be no longer than 24 hours.

The second phase of the plan calls for the creation of between 13 and 16 additional beds for sobering treatment at the Central Eastside facility, while also providing medication for those addicted to opioids.

What the county doesn't expect to see before 2026 is the opening of a permanent sobering-up and diversion center, which the county would (ideally) buy rather than lease. That would allow stays of more than 24 hours – like the 72-hour involuntary commitments police can now impose – and up to 50 sobering-up beds.

The draft plan calls for this permanent facility to be at least 300 meters away from schools and daycare centers, which apparently did not play a role in the current facility.

County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards and Portland Police Chief Bob Day are critical of the timeline for the permanent sobering facility and want it to open sooner. The sobering portion of the plan is based on a proposal Brim-Edwards developed before the switch to a diversion center.

RELATED: Portland police chief urges Multnomah County district leader to speed up opening of sobering center

“I did not agree to that schedule,” Brim-Edwards told KGW, “and as you can see, neither did Chief Day. And I don't think the community agreed to that schedule either.”

Multnomah County has been without a centralized sobering medication dispensing center since early 2020, after a long-standing facility run by the nonprofit organization Central City Concern was closed for safety reasons for staff and patients.