Bend City Council Houselessness Update August 3, 2022
from Councilor Megan Perkins:
Following the extreme heat in our community that prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency last week, this is a great time to recap how local nonprofit services providers really stepped up and extended their services and resources to help keep community members safe.
Local organizations, including the City of Bend, provided vital water throughout the community, a cooling and overnight shelter and services to meet a wide variety of individualized needs. This effort represented coordination between municipal governments, service providers, local businesses and mutual aid organizations.
With the recent opening and launch of the Lighthouse Navigation Center, the Bend community had a cooling center all ready to go in a permanent shelter site. The Lighthouse Navigation Center is a community partnership between The Shepherd’s House, the City of Bend and numerous nonprofit support organizations.
We are grateful for Shepherd’s House staff and volunteers as they have been responding to the needs of the community, day and night, in a safe, air-conditioned shelter, as well as through their mobile van services. The Lighthouse has invited additional guests in, beyond its regular participants, between 11am and 6pm to relax in the day-use space, have access to water, food, popsicles and additional onsite resources.
We want to also thank the Masonic Center for holding a cooling center at their location staffed by the Cascade Peer and Self Help Center all week as well as serving as a donation and distribution center for groups and providers doing outreach to houseless campers.
For people camping on Hunnell Road, the City’s Utility Department staff worked closely with Avion Water Co. and installed water service and mister tent to help our community’s most vulnerable.
REACH, a City-contracted mobile outreach provider, deployed additional volunteers to assist in getting water, ice, Gatorade and other essential needs. Over a four-day period last week, REACH connected with approximately 90-100 people via phone or in-person. They met people in all settings — camps, local motels and shelters.
REACH also fielded increased calls requesting motel stays, gas vouchers, fans, AC units, generators, food and prescription assistance. The extreme heat motivated many to complete paperwork to be added into the coordinated entry system, a requirement for housing placement. REACH completed 10 assessments necessary for getting on the housing waitlists. Transitioning people into housing is exactly what we want to see.
At the Bethlehem Inn shelter, established guests had the option to stay on-site during the day to get relief from hot weather. And, Bethlehem Inn in Bend has been open from 2 to 5 p.m. daily for anyone in the community needing services — even if they aren’t established guests.
I would be remiss by not mentioning that there are so many more service providers and mutual aid groups that worked tirelessly to support our houseless community during this heat. Thank you to all Bendites who donated water or helped staff distribution centers or who reached out to our houseless community during this time. You truly exemplified community.
Finally, we must recognize Deschutes County Homeless Outreach Services for all their work coordinating responses and deploying resources throughout the County related to the extreme weather. This was a mammoth effort, and their work was invaluable to keeping people safe.
If community members want and need help, especially with the heat, calling “211” is an excellent resource for details on cooling centers and a wide range of local supports.
Unfortunately, this won’t be our last heat emergency. If you want to help people during extreme weather emergencies, or volunteer in any way, reach out to the nonprofit service providers providing these services. Visit the Homeless Leadership Coalition webpage (cohomeless.org) for a list of organizations that provide services and resources to individuals experiencing houselessness.
I want give my heartfelt thanks to all those organizations and individuals working to help those who don’t have the privilege of living in homes with cooling systems and protection from the extreme weather. Collaborative partnerships truly do save lives.
~Councilor Megan Perkins
Because of the broad community interest in housing and houselessness, the City Council added periodic updates on City Council’s work on addressing houselessness to its business meetings.
