As the region's population of homeless women grows, a new women's shelter is preparing to open this weekend in east Multnomah County.

The Gresham Women's Shelter will offer 90 beds, along with showers, dining tables, laundry facilities and work space in a remodeled building on East Burnside Street.

Human Solutions, a local nonprofit, will operate the shelter.

When doors open, the shelter expects to serve 45 women for the first few nights, and it will welcome more women within several days. The "soft opening" will allow staff to make sure the building is functioning smoothly and address any problems before running at full capacity, said Charles Hodge, Human Solutions' emergency services director.

Shelter staff said they'll initially reserve 20 beds for emergency needs, such as sexual assault or domestic violence victims who need a place to stay immediately. Operators plan to always keep some beds on hand for that purpose, but said they may adjust the number.

According to a county report issued last week, the number of women who died on the streets of Multnomah County jumped to 17 last year, up from 4 in 2014. County spokesman David Austin said the new shelter addresses a pressing need as the number of homeless women in the county rises, particularly in east county.

At a recent open-house event, County Chair Deborah Kafoury said this shelter will provide crucial services, especially for women fleeing domestic violence.

But, she said, "shelter is not the end game."

Andy Miller, executive director of Human Solutions, said while shelter beds offer safety from the trauma of the streets, real security comes from moving the homeless into permanent housing.

"We want to ring the celebration bell of really ending this crisis," he said.

The women's shelter is the third new shelter this year in Multnomah County. A 134-bed family shelter opened in February. The county also opened a 200-bed shelter for adults, with priority given to women and couples, in its former sheriff's office headquarters in July.

A fourth shelter, with 120 beds for couples, is set to open next month.

-- Emily E. Smith

esmith@oregonian.com

503-294-4032; @emilyesmith