Barry Menashe of Menashe Properties, a real estate company in Portland, Oregon, donated part of one of his buildings to be used as a temporary shelter for the city's homeless men. As reported by Oregon Live, the project was officially unveiled last Jan. 18, when around 100 men went off the rainy streets and took comfort in the new shelter.
"We have a problem with people sleeping on our steps. That's the business side," said Menashe said. "But there's also a human side."
Menashe has partnered with Transition Projects, who will run the overnight shelter program for at least six months. The donated space is enough for 150 men, and will be open daily from 7 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Aside from sleeping mats, the shelter will provide blankets, coffee, tea, games, books and a common area.
The 62-year-old Menashe has spent 40 years in the real estate industry, and said that homelessness is an issue that is close to his heart. He related that two of his siblings suffered from mental illness that led them to stay in the streets for years.
In October last year, Portland declared a housing state of emergency. A study conducted by the city shows that in one night, there are more than 3,800 in the streets. About 1,900 of them are unsheltered.
"Homelessness is a personal and a business problem for our family," Jordan Menashe, Barry's 28-year-old son and vice president of their company, told Biz Journals. "These people deserve to be treated as real people, as human beings."
The building, which Menashe Properties acquired in 2014 for $9 million, occupies half a block between Southwest Fourth Avenue and Southwest Washington Street. The property is actually for sale now, but Jordan assured the public that the shelter will run for at least six months.
"When this closes, maybe someone else will step up," he said. "We truly hope that our idea sparks others in the real estate industry and beyond to start thinking more proactively about this dire issue."
Menashe Properties' portfolio includes the Wilcox Building and the Portland Police Block. They also recently entered the Seattle market, having recently landed a $26.5 million deal on a suburban office compound in Kent.
