The City of Bend will fund the operation of the Shepherd’s House winter warming shelter with $600,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Bend’s CDBG program funds social-service organizations that provide assistance for housing and community development activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons. The CDBG program received 15 applications from local organizations that presented their proposals at the May 27, 2020, Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. This year, in alignment with the standard CDBG evaluation criteria, the City placed a special focus on organizations responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
The winter warming shelter will be located at 275 NE 2nd Street and is expected to be open by the end of November. It will be able to shelter 75 to 100 individuals through March. More details about the operation of the winter warming shelter will be released by Shepherd’s House Ministries later this week.
A seasonal winter warming shelter is made possible through a weather emergency declaration and is one short-term solution to help address homelessness in Bend. Short-term and long-term solutions, like a permanent warming shelter or professionally managed camps, are also necessary to support community members as they transition out of homelessness and into stable housing. For examples of short-, medium- and long-term solutions, see the City Council Work Session presentation from Oct. 21.
Learn more about how the City is addressing homelessness by visiting the Emergency Homelessness Task Force webpage.
To obtain this information in an alternate format such as Braille, large print, electronic formats, etc., please contact Joshua Romero at jromero@bendoregon.gov or 541-693-2185.
