Helping Hands

Council rejects top bid, wants more money

Written June 25th, 2025 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 29 responses.

Wanting more money, the Albany City Council Wednesday turned down a company’s offer to buy three vacant city-owned lots so the business could expand.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, city lots, Helping Hands, Ninth and Jackson, Van Vleet Meat

A closed meeting to deliberate sale of lots?

Written June 21st, 2025 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 14 responses.

The Albany City Council will hold a public hearing on June 25 before possibly selling three surplus properties near the corner of Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street, close to the Helping Hands homeless shelter and the Pacific Boulevard overpass.

Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: city property, closed meetings, Helping Hands, homeless shelter, industrial zoning, Ninth and Jackson, pubic property, surplus real estate

City plans to put three lots up for sale

Written March 27th, 2025 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 9 responses.

Three small vacant lots in central Albany and owned by the city will soon come up for sale. What eventually happens there, if anything, seems very much up in the air.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: City of Albany, Helping Hands, Jackson and Ninth, Madison Street, surplus property, Van Vleet

Three city lots: Council wants an appraisal

Written November 24th, 2024 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 8 responses.

The Albany City Council has taken the first step before deciding to dispose of three city-owned lots on Jackson Street and Ninth Avenue near the Helping Hands homeless shelter, which already owns most of that block.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany City Council, city lots, Helping Hands, homeless lots, homeless shelter, Pacific overpass, surplus city land, Van Vleet Meat

Helping Hands floats proposal for housing

Written August 19th, 2024 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 26 responses.

For a reason shrouded in the mist of long ago, the City of Albany owns three lots in the same block as the Albany Helping Hands homeless shelter. The shelter has an idea of how the lots could serve a useful purpose, and it’s not to house people in ragtag tents.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: apartment block, Helping Hands, homeless, housing, Jackson and Ninth, Marvin's Garden

Albany’s homeless campsite gets a hose

Written August 11th, 2023 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 23 responses.

One of the necessities Albany’s designated homeless camp needed was a source of potable water. It didn’t have one on Wednesday, but now it does, thanks to Helping Hands.

Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: Darol Davies, Helping Hands, homeless campsite, Marvin's Garden, Ninth and Jackson, potable water

Street appeal denied: Checking the scene

Written January 29th, 2023 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 13 responses.

Last week I wanted to see if anything had changed since the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals rejected an Albany homeowner’s appeal from a city decision to abandon a short section of public street so the Helping Hands homeless shelter can expand.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Helping Hands, Jefferson Street, land use board of appeals, LUBA, street vacation, Vanderburg