Safe. Dignified. Community-Built Shelter for Portland’s Unhoused.
WeShine creates safe, supportive micro-villages that help Portland’s unsheltered adults find stability, community, and a path toward permanent housing. Together, we’re transforming lives and neighborhoods—one home at a time.
Youtube: WeShine 2025 Anthem
Weshine Snapshot Statistics
WeShine stands for Welcoming, Empowering, Safe Habitation Initiative with Neighborhood Engagement. Our villages are located in residential neighborhoods, with wraparound services and robust volunteer engagement. In conjunction with other types of shelter, WeShine is an important component of the region’s shelter ecosystem. And, WeShine villages help reduce the region’s unmanaged encampments.
3+
Villages
30+
Villagers
$1M+
Donations Raised
15+
Graduations To Housing
30+
Service Provided
15+
Dogs
6+
Cats
Core Functions Overview
Villages
Safe, supportive micro-villages offering transitional housing and wrap-around services that help villagers rebuild their lives with dignity.
Volunteers
Our dedicated volunteers bring warmth, skills, and compassion — the heart behind every WeShine initiative and success story.
Donations
Your generosity powers WeShine’s mission — every contribution helps provide shelter, safety, and hope to those in need.
Site Partner
Together with Site Partners, WeShine transforms compassion into housing — uplifting Portland’s most vulnerable communities.
Villages
St. Andrews Community Village
Location:
7600 N. Hereford Avenue, in North Portland
Site partner:
St Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Opened:
April 2025
Capacity:
10 sleeping pods for up to 10 adults
Participants:
Adults who are age 45 or older or adults of any age with a physical disability. Priority for those who also identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or who have been camping in the nearby area.
Avalon Community Village
Location:
2539 SE 19th Ave., in Portland’s Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood
Site partner:
Portland Bureau of Transportation
Opened:
August 2024
Capacity:
10 sleeping pods for up to 10 adults
Participants:
Female-identifying adults, with priority for those who are also Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, those who are older or who have disabilities, and those who have been camping nearby.
Parkrose Community Village
Location:
12501 NE Halsey St., Portland
Site partner:
Parkrose Community United Church of Christ
Opened:
August 2022
Capacity:
10 sleeping pods for up to 10 adults
Participants:
Adults who identify as LGBTQIA+, priority for those who are also Black, Indigenous, or People of Color or who have disabilities or who have been camping nearby.
Villager Testimonials
A place to be our true selves
“ WeShine’s acronym stands for Welcoming, Empowering, Safe, Habitation Initiative (with) Neighborhood Engagement – things that WeShine villages strive to provide. While WeShine works hard to serve our unsheltered neighbors, we often forget just how much the villagers give back to WeShine.
Fae came to us with a need for the safety, stability and privacy our villages provide, she brought with her an amazing drive for community organizing and outreach. After experiencing deep trauma and homelessness in Los Angeles, in the Spring of 2023, she chose to make the move to Portland, hoping to become, as she describes, “finally, truly out for the first time” as a trans woman.
-Fae’s story
How To Join A Village
WeShine Village Application and Information
The waitlists at all villages are currently closed
If you have questions about our villages or would like to receive an email once our waitlists open back up again, please contact shelter@weshinepdx.org.
Our Vision: A regional network of micro villages that meet the varied and unique needs of unhoused people throughout many Portland neighborhoods.
Learn about WeShine
WeShine Villages
- Parkrose Community Village: adults who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.
- Avalon Community Village: female-identifying adults.
- St. Andrews Community Village: Adults who are age 45 or older, or adults of any age with a physical disability.
- All villages prioritize serving Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with disabilities, and those who have been camping in the nearby area.
Volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are the heartbeat of WeShine. Whether you’re lending a hand at one of our micro-village sites, helping organize supplies, assisting residents as they transition into permanent housing, or contributing your professional skills — your time and compassion make a lasting impact.
Every act of service adds up to something powerful: a brighter, safer, and more connected Portland. At WeShine, volunteers don’t just help — they embody our mission of Welcoming, Empowering, Safe Habitation with Neighborhood Engagement. By working alongside staff, residents, and partners, you help transform compassion into tangible action that changes lives.
Together, we build bridges of dignity and opportunity, one neighbor at a time. Join us in bringing light, safety, and community to Portland’s unhoused residents and experience firsthand how small acts of kindness ripple into citywide change.
Please email info@weshinepdx.org if you are interested in volunteering.
(WeShine is updating its volunteer opportunities and application process.)
What Our Volunteer and Community Partners Say
How To Volunteer
At WeShine, every act of service makes a difference. Whether you’re lending your time, your skills, or simply your presence, volunteering helps create safe, welcoming spaces for Portlanders rebuilding their lives. Explore the ways you can get involved — and be part of a community that shines brighter together.
Join a Community Event
Be part of the movement that brings neighbors together. Attend WeShine events, organize supply drives, or help raise awareness across Portland. Every gathering you join builds connection, compassion, and hope within our community.
Lend a Hand at a Village
We need help in these areas: Any sort of specialty including finances, mental health classes, art classes, cooking classes, budgeting.
Hands on help in the village
Small construction projects, gardening, cooking
Donations
You can make a difference
At WeShine, we believe that everyone in our community deserves access to a place to call home and the opportunity to write their own unique and powerful story.
Today, we invite you to make a donation and become a part of this transformative story. Together, we can overcome the systemic barriers to housing that limit our community’s potential.
There are many ways to support WeShine:
- Make a one-time donation
- Mail a check
- Become a Monthly Sustainer
- Through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)
- Contribute from an IRA (Required Minimum Distribution)
Please make your check payable to WeShine Initiative Inc. and mail it to:
3539 NE Sandy Blvd #525,
Portland, OR 97232
Partner & Sponsor Logos
Latest News
Portland Church Will Open Housing Village
New North Portland village to offer transitional shelter for up to 10 individuals
We Shine opens 3rd micro-village in Portland
Avalon Village Burglarized. Donations needed to replace stolen items.
Avalon Village: New Portland shelter empowers its residents through self-governance
Jan McManus of We Shine on tiny villages for underserved communities
Did you know the celebrated photographer, Carrie Mae Weems, was born here in Portland Oregon?
Through powerful images and storytelling, Weems has spent decades challenging how history, identity, race, and family are seen and remembered. Her work asks us not just to look, but to *reflect* — on who is centered, who is missing, and who gets to tell the story.
From Portland to museums around the world, her legacy reminds us that art can confront injustice, preserve memory, and imagine something better.
Photo credit goes to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
#BlackHistoryMonth #carriemaeweems #portlandroots #kitchentableseries #macarthurfoundation
Happy Valentine’s Day from Avalon Village! Avalon Village is located in the lovely #hosfordabernethy neighborhood in SE Portland! It’s surrounded by supportive neighbors and businesses including a preschool! At WeShine, we believe our unhoused neighbors deserve all the same things housed folks do: community, safety, love, celebrations, plants, garden beds, opportunities and ways to be creative!
#valentinesday #portlandoregon #unhousedneighbors #microvillageshelters
This week we are bringing your attention to Judge Roosevelt Robinson (1941–2004) — a trailblazer in Oregon’s legal community and a champion for justice in Multnomah County.
A graduate of The Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, Judge Robinson dedicated his career to public service, serving with integrity and compassion on the Multnomah County bench. His leadership helped pave the way for greater equity and representation within Oregon’s legal system.
Today, his legacy lives on through the Roosevelt Robinson Scholarship at Lewis & Clark Law School, which supports students from diverse backgrounds pursuing careers in law. His life reminds us that representation matters — and that one person’s commitment to justice can open doors for generations to come.
#Legacy #Justice #PortlandOregon #LewisAndClarkLaw #RepresentationMatters
Come visit with WeShine staff and learn more about our micro-villages, our mission and ways to get involved! We are on the look out for new board members! Even if you aren’t interested In volunteering it will be an engaging conversation about how to support our unhoused neighbors!
You will also have a chance to view the stunning exhibit at Stelo Arts @steloarts about homelessness in Portland, @dearportlandexhibit by the amazing folks at @humansforhousingorg
RSVP at link in bio!
#homelessnessawareness #humansforhousing #weshinepdx #microvillageshelters #pdx
This week’s Black Oregonian History Makers feature: Margaret Louise Carter.
In 1984, she became the first Black woman elected to Oregon’s Legislature. In 2005, she became the first African American to serve as President Pro Tempore of the Oregon State Senate.
Her legacy is also being honored in a very Portland way: M Carter Commons, a new affordable housing community in Overlook with 62 affordable, accessible homes for residents 55+.
Her name is also on the stunning Technology Building at Portland Community College! Have you seen her name around? Or maybe you have seen her out and about in the neighborhood in Northeast Portland?
✨ Who should we feature next? Drop a Black Portland history-maker in the comments.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
#BlackHistoryMonth #oregonblackhistorymonth #margaretcarter #housingpolicy #weshinepdx
Why “Microvillages” you ask? The concept of “microvillages” is essential to WeShine’s specific model and mission! We want to change the narrative on what a homeless shelter can and should be: small, low staff/participant ratio, close in neighborhoods with great neighbors, businesses, jobs, resources and public transportation! WeShine stands for: Welcoming, Empowering, Safe, Habitation, Initiative with Neighborhood Engagement! ❤️🏡🚏🚐🌲🌲🌳
#unhousedneighbors #weshinepdx #microvillages #alternativeshelters #solvinghomelessness
Staff, board and our amazing PR consultant @bridget_jackson at @nexuspr_official celebrated the 2025 @giveguide last week with other great nonprofits! We love being able to participate in the Willamette Week Give!Guide! Looking forward to November!
#pdx #fundraising #weshinepdx #microvillages #solvinghomelessness
We are overjoyed to help spread the word about this amazing exhibition at @steloarts by our friends at @humansforhousingorg Please come join us at the grand opening of @dearportlandexhibit on February 7th from 11-3! There will be donuts, music, coffee and more! There is a link to RSVP in our bio!
#homelessnessinpdx #unhousedneighbors #humansforhousing #portlandoregon #weshinepdx
Newsletter
Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, The Village View. Read the latest edition below, and sign up here to get the next one in your inbox. The Village View highlights recent happenings in our current villages, exciting announcements, articles by staff on homelessness issues in our region, engaging stories about the folks we serve and more. Sign up today!
Let’s Connect
Mailing address
WeShine
3539 NE Sandy Blvd #525,
Portland, OR 97232