(Oasis Village is described as “a path from houseless camps to stable housing” | Photo courtesy of Andrea Hine)
Oasis Village
At the first of two October groundbreaking ceremonies in Redmond, Eleanor Bessonette, executive director, described Oasis Village as a “significant milestone for our community.”
When complete, Oasis Village will house 20 adult residents in 15, 100-square-foot heated shelters, and include a community building (with bathrooms, showers, a kitchen, computer area, and laundry facilities), pet area, garden, and RV/trailer storage area. The three-acre, gated housing project will be staffed full time, including with case management and peer support workers. Plans call for doubling the number of shelters within two years.
“Partnerships are how we get things done in our community,” she said Bessonette, while recognizing key project partners including the City of Redmond; Deschutes County Commissioners (who made about 12 acres of land available); Hayden Homes and Simplicity by Hayden Homes; H.A. McCoy Engineering and Survey; Heart of Oregon Corps; Redmond High School CTE students; and the Rotary Club of Redmond.
“A path from houseless camps to stable housing,” in the words of another speaker, Oasis Village is open to adult men and women who will be able to stay anywhere from six months to two years as long as they are working toward more permanent housing.
Fundraising for the construction of Oasis Village began in 2020, and received a major boost from a $975,000 grant allocated by Gov. Tina Kotek to help tackle the state’s homelessness crisis. Additional funding includes a $967,500 grant from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act, the state of Oregon and the Central Oregon Health Council. Support has also come from community organizations, churches and private individuals.
“We see housing as a whole continuum. It is not going to solve all of our problems, but it is a piece along the way to help those that are houseless in our area,” Bessonette said. “Oasis Village embodies the spirit of our community — where hope takes root and lives are transformed. It is a testament to what we can do when we all work together.”
Spencer Court
The month’s second groundbreaking, hosted by Housing Works, the regional housing authority for Central Oregon, celebrated the start of construction on a 60-unit modern affordable housing community. It is located on a 3.43-acre site that was previously underutilized with 16 obsolete units built in the early 1980s.
Keeping the previous property name of Spencer Court, named after a long-time resident who passed a few years ago, the new development will include four new three-story buildings, a community building for residents to gather with a dog washing station, a playground, a dog run, and abundant bike storage. The mixture of unit types — ranging in size from duplexes to quadplexes, and from two to three bedrooms — will support and encourage various household compositions and multi-generational interactions.
The Spencer Court development is supported by funds from Deschutes County, Oregon Housing and Community Services, the City of Redmond, Washington Federal Bank, and PNC Bank.
