PORTLAND – An innovative Oregon program turned $125 million into nearly 1,400 new shelter beds across 32 facilities in 18 Oregon counties. Now, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici wants to take the state’s Project Turnkey program nationwide. 

The Democratic Oregon representative was in Portland on Thursday to meet with community leaders who have worked on developing shelters and housing through Project Turnkey, a state program that launched in 2020 to add shelter space by converting motels into emergency shelters. A second round of state funding in 2022 added more types of buildings, including repurposed apartments and single-family homes, but the model remained the same: People or families coming into the shelters had their own rooms and access to services. 

“Oregon really has been at the forefront in developing innovative strategies to address the housing shortage and to help people who are experiencing homelessness transition from the street into stable housing,” Bonamici said.  

She introduced House Resolution 8297, the Project Turnkey Act, in May with 15 Democratic co-sponsors, including fellow Oregon Reps. Andrea Salinas and Earl Blumenauer. It would allocate $1 billion annually for Project Turnkey grants through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and allow grant recipients to use the money to convert vacant buildings into housing or shelter, provide direct rent support and assistance with security deposits and utility bills, contribute to down payments and repair and expand emergency shelters. 

Bonamici said she isn’t counting on passing anything this year, with Congress away from D.C. for most of the rest of the year, but she’s trying to build support. She noted that she has a Republican cosponsor, Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick, on a separate bill for recovery housing, and that there is a growing bipartisan awareness in Washington around housing issues. 

“I’m really excited to take these stories back with me and share why this is a meaningful program,” Bonamici told participants in the town hall. 

Tigard project

The Bridge to Home shelter in Tigard was the final one funded under Project Turnkey last year, said Rose Money, executive director of the Family Promise of Tualatin Valley that operates the shelter. Money from Project Turnkey, Washington County and the city of Tigard cleared the way for the nonprofit to turn a Quality Inn hotel into a shelter that can house up to 70 households in rooms with kitchenettes. 

Before Project Turnkey allowed the Tualatin Valley program to buy a hotel, it was renting individual hotel rooms to house people and families. But as more people started traveling as the COVID pandemic lightened, available rooms were harder to find. 

“When we were in that motel environment, the motel industry started coming back to life and people were traveling again, so our ability to secure those 40 rooms was harder and harder and harder,” she said. “We went from 40 down to 37, down to 22. And we thought, ‘What are we going to do?’ because the need was growing in the community.”

For the Urban League of Portland, which received $2.7 million to adapt a multifamily complex into seven units for women returning from incarceration, the funding meant providing stability. Two women who participated in the program are the responsible adults in their children’s lives again, and that likely wouldn’t have happened if the Urban League was limited to providing shelter in a motel or congregate setting, president and CEO Nkenge Harmon Johnson said. 

“Project Turnkey for us was an opportunity to acquire an asset, because that’s important to our ability to survive as an organization and not be at the mercy of these motel owners who now know the money’s in the long term leases,” she said. “Beyond that, it gives us an opportunity to make commitments to community partners  to say, ‘Hey, I can get you five beds.’ Because I know you can always fill them and I will always have them, and I’m not at the mercy of someone else. It makes a big difference.”

Longer-term plans

Most of the community organizations that own Project Turnkey shelters plan to convert them into longer-term housing, including apartments with below-market rents or permanent supportive housing that includes on-site social services. 

Creating shelters and future affordable housing in existing buildings has proven to be cheaper than new construction: According to the Oregon Community Foundation, a Portland nonprofit that oversaw the development Project Turnkey, the average unit costs less than $100,000, compared to a pre-pandemic statewide average of $226,000 and a nearly $375,000 cost per unit for affordable apartments funded by Portland’s 2016 housing bond. 

But retrofitting buildings also brings some challenges, not all of which can be solved with money from state or local governments. Jes Larson, assistant director of Washington County Housing Services, said one glaring example is sprinklers. 

“These are great, ready-made buildings that have immediate shelter for our community, that sometimes don’t meet code in really big expensive ways, like required sprinkling systems,” Larsen said. “And that wasn’t a part of the original Project Turnkey plan. It’s not a part of the flexible homeless services dollars that I get to work with in Washington, so we have to figure it out.” 

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There’s no shortage of surveys that purport to tell us bits of trivia about favorite foods, places, destinations, etc. The sources of these rankings vary wildly, with some seeming fairly legit, and others that sound on the iffy side.

Given that, it’s not surprising that yet another press release, this one a list of the what it says are the most-Googled film locations, has landed in our email inbox.

The source is EarthWeb, which the press release says “helps you discover the best research guides and resources for tech and online privacy. Their mission is to help you simplify processes and make informed buying decisions.”

The press release goes on to describe the methodology behind this Top 10 roundup: “The data was gathered with keyword analysis software on ahrefs.com using the keywords ‘film location.’”

Maybe you’re wondering just what ahrefs.com is. Us, too. The website says it’s a multinational startup headquartered in Singapore, that creates “online SEO tools and free educational materials for marketing professionals.”

So, what are these most-Googled film locations? And are there any Oregon ones in there?

To answer the second question first, yes, Oregon locations do show up, and in the Top 10, no less. High up in the No. 2 slot, for example, is “The Goonies” film location, in Astoria.

The 1985 movie, which filmed in and around Astoria, remains so popular, and such a tourist draw, that June 7 has been declared an Astoria holiday, known as “Goonies Day.”

This Goondocks.org website link has a list of activities associated with the holiday.

In the No. 8 spot is “The Shining” film location, with tips on where to find locations, including Timberline Lodge, on Mount Hood, which was used for exterior shots of the fictional, and very scary, Overlook Hotel.

What else made the Top 10? Here’s the list:

No. 1: “It’s a Wonderful Life” film location. Where to find the location? Seneca Falls, New York (the movie’s fictional Bedford Falls was apparently inspired by Seneca Falls). “It’s a Wonderful Life” was originally released in 1946, and has gone on to become a holiday viewing staple.

No. 2: “The Goonies” film location. Where to find the location? Astoria, Oregon.

Oregon film tourism trend brings visitors to communities where movies and TV shows filmed

No. 3: “Jurassic Park” film location. Where to find the location? Hawaii (Kauai and Oahu), Costa Rica. The first “Jurassic Park” movie opened in 1993.

No. 4: “The Equalizer 3” film location. Where to find the location? Amalfi Coast, Italy. Bonus points if you knew that there were three “The Equalizer” movies, and that the third one came out in 2023.

No. 5: “Saltburn” film location. Where to find the location? Oxfordshire, England, and other parts of the United Kingdom. “Saltburn” played in some theaters in late 2023, and streams on Amazon Prime Video.

No. 6: “Resident Alien” film location. Where to find the location? Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada. According to the press release, in the TV series, “Resident Alien,” Ladysmith doubles as the fictional town of Patience, Colorado.

No. 7: “Couples Retreat” film location. Where to find the location? Bora Bora, French Polynesia. “Couples Retreat” was released in 2009.

No. 8: “The Shining” film location. Where to find the location? Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon (exterior shots); The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado (which inspired Stephen King’s novel, “The Shining”). The movie was released in 1980.

Popular Oregon Film Trail stops include locations associated with ‘Grimm,’ ‘Twilight, and more

No. 9: “Pale Rider” film location. Where to find the location? Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho. “Pale Rider” was released in 1985.

No. 10: “Dirty Dancing” film location. Where to find the location? Lake Lure, North Carolina; Mountain Lake, Virginia. “Dirty Dancing” was released in 1987.

— Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist

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