(Rendering courtesy of Mountain View Community Development)
Mountain View Fellowship had been hosting Safe Parking for unhoused families since 2021. But at 10:45am June 1, the church and Mountain View Community Development, the nonprofit that ran the Safe Parking Program, broke ground on a half-acre expansion that included a playground for homeless kids, a pergola, landscaping, and four microshelters.
“What better way to express our Christian faith than to provide a safe place for families with children and a beautiful space for kids to play?” said Pastor Emily Nelson. “Jesus valued children highly, and so did we. We were happy to provide space for families and kids to live and play on church property as they worked toward a strong future.”
The nonprofit grew out of an effort that started with the church hosting the Redmond Winter Shelter. While the two were separate entities, they maintained a strong partnership.
The family site was sparse, with RVs, fencing, a gravel parking lot, and a portable toilet. In 2024, 45 minors stayed there. While the site was safe and was a vast improvement over unauthorized parking, there wasn’t much for the kids to do outside.
“The Mountain View Fellowship Board enthusiastically supported efforts to expand and improve the Safe Parking Program on our campus,” said board delegate Richard Stouffer. “Adding facilities like the playground enriched lives, giving children a place to exercise and play with friends. The grounds offered a ‘communal patio,’ not quite like your backyard but a great improvement.”
The nonprofit added microshelters — garden shed-sized structures with heating, cooling, and a bed but no plumbing — to several of its sites. At the family site, the structures accommodated four beds.
“I was grateful for our deep partnership with Mountain View Fellowship,” nonprofit Executive Director Rick Russell said. “The church pioneered how faith communities could serve their communities. Their generosity continued by committing real property for the purpose of sheltering unhoused children. This was a church that walked their talk.”
The project was funded by Central Oregon Health Council, who were featured at the ceremony, along with a former participant in the Safe Parking Program.
Russell praised the health council for its commitment to improving the lives of unhoused people in the region.
“The health council had been an important partner to us,” he said. “We could not have launched Safe Parking without them. The funds to create a safe environment for unhoused children showed their commitment to housing stability as an important factor in driving down regional health care costs.”
