PORT ANGELES — Two new Oxford homes are scheduled to open next year, providing housing for 19 to 28 people who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Originally, the homes sat at 136 and 138 W. Second St. in Port Angeles and were owned and operated by Peninsula Behavioral Health (PBH).
However, when PBH received a $750,000 donation from the Shreffler family, PBH Development Director Tracy Sheldon said “that spurred the idea of, ‘What if we put some high-density affordable housing there, to maximize the two lots?’”
PBH then secured funding to build a 36-unit permanent supportive housing facility, North View, which is scheduled to be completed next December.
The two homes on Second Street initially were going to be demolished, casualties of the redevelopment, until contractor Michael Anderson agreed to bear the costs of relocating them.
Anderson is moving the larger, two-story home to 213 S. Oak St., where it will house between 14 and 20 qualifying men.
The smaller home will be moved to 119 W. Third St. and will house five to eight qualifying women.
Both will be Oxford houses, a program whose goal is to provide housing and rehabilitative support for those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol but aim to permanently stop drinking or using drugs, according to an email Anderson sent to the city of Port Angeles.
“In its simplest form, an Oxford House describes a self-run, self-supporting and drug-free home,” Anderson wrote.
The houses will be run on a democratic basis, and anyone who drinks alcohol or uses drugs will be immediately expelled. The residents also must pay rent and “refrain from disruptive behavior,” Anderson said.
“Oxford House is the best practice and has many research-proven successes when the goal is maintained abstinence,” Port Angeles City Council member Amy Miller said during a council meeting earlier this month.
Rent for the houses will be $600 per person per month, including utilities.
The project is estimated to be completed by Jan. 11, according to city documents.
To help with the costs of the estimated $400,000 project, the Port Angeles City Council unanimously approved a $34,589.30 grant to help relocate the two-story house and relevant utilities.
The grant comes from the city’s affordable housing sales tax fund. The city is required by law to use those funds for supportive housing projects.
“Dollar cost-wise, efficiency use of this usage of this money has got to be off the charts,” council member Brendan Meyer said.
The two houses will join the fleet of 11 other Oxford Houses in Port Angeles. The existing Oxford houses have the capacity to house 94 people.
As of Dec. 9, there were only six vacancies between the 11 homes, according to the Oxford House website.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
