Volume LII • Number 09
‘City
of
Roses’
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • May 08, 2024
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Safe Park Village Planned for Montavilla Neighborhood
Alternative Shelter
for the Houseless
Community
By Beverly Corbell
Under the direction of Multnomah
County’s Joint Office of Homeless Ser-
vices, the nonprofit Straightway Services
has been selected to manage a new ‘safe
park’ for houseless people living in their
cars in the Montavilla neighborhood.
The site, at 333 S.E. 82nd Ave., will
be fenced and will include trash services,
showers, restrooms, laundry, a kitchenette
and housing services with support from
county agencies.
For 22 years, Straightway Services,
founded by Pastor Dwight Minnieweath-
er, has focused on programs serving
youth, workforce development and home-
less services.
“It means the world to us to operate this
shelter and support an alternative way of
helping people who sleep in their vehi-
cles,” Minnieweather said.
The safe park, to be called The Light
Community, will provide on-site services
24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will
give people with no roof over their heads a
Nena Enyinwa, Charles Lott, Pastor Minnieweather, Latoya Minnieweather, and Michael Martin
safe place to stay and get their cars off the
street, according to Minnieweather said,
and will offer much more.
“We’ll make it a community with edu-
cational opportunities and connection to
peer mentors,” he said. “This will be more
than just a place to sleep. It will be a holis-
tic community where people can become
self-sufficient.”
The village will have 29 sleeping pods
for up to 40 adults (18 and over), and 33
parking spots. Details for sign-up and re-
ferrals are still being finalized, but priority
will be given to unhoused residents of the
Montavilla neighborhood so they can stay
connected to their neighborhood, accord-
ing to the county press office. Straightway
Services will collaborate with other organi-
Continued on Page 10
Creating Action Around Bringing Peace to Portland’s Streets
FBI Honors the
Interfaith Peace and
Action Collaboration
with National Award
Lisa Broderick accepted the FBI Portland 2023 Director’s Community Leadership
Award on behalf of the Interfaith Peace and Action Collaborative
FBI Director Christopher Wray pre-
sented the Interfaith Peace and Action
Collaborative (IPAC) with the FBI Di-
rector’s Community Leadership Award
(DCLA) for their service to the Portland
area. Lisa Broderick accepted the FBI
Portland 2023 Director’s Community
Leadership Award on behalf of IPAC.
IPAC is a united group that proactively
gathers as members of faith, community,
business, and law enforcement to dis-
cuss and create action around bringing
peace to Portland’s streets. The group
researches best practices and identifies
appropriate actions, technology, and
street-level solutions to address violence
at a grassroots level. IPAC is also work-
ing to become a model for, and share
information with, other cities that are
struggling with an uptick in crime.
“IPAC is intentional about promoting
restraint on the street and creating and
maintaining dialogue between the com-
munity members it represents and law
enforcement. This directly intersects
with the FBI’s national mission of pro-
tecting the American people, and FBI
Portland’s local mission of keeping the
people of Oregon safe,” said Douglas A.
Olson, Special Agent in Charge of the
FBI Portland Field Office. “FBI Port-
land is proud to work with the leaders
of IPAC as they devote countless hours
to addressing the crisis of violence on
Portland streets and are working toward
solutions for a safer, shared community.”
The FBI established the DCLA in
1990 to publicly acknowledge the
Continued on Page 7