Bend’s Lighthouse Navigation Center undergoing expansion, at full capacity as winter weather hits area

Homeless shelter requests community assistance with winter clothing donations

BEND, Ore (KTVZ) -- With winter weather arriving in force and more heavy snow, colder temperatures and high winds on the way, Shepherd’s House Ministries, operating The Lighthouse Navigation Center in Bend, is working to keep the homeless safe.

"We’re serving breakfast and lunch and coffee all day and doing what we can to keep folks warm and out of the weather," Shepherd's House Ministries Director of Navigation Services Evan Hendrix said.

Currently, Shepherd’s House is also working with the city of Bend to remodel the navigation center and offer more health support. 

“We’re putting in six showers, they’re updating and expanding restrooms, putting in laundry services for washers and dryers, and then also adding a full commercial kitchen," Hendrix said.

With the ongoing construction that started in November, Shepherd’s House is leasing a building on the corner of Franklin and Second Street to offer day services and help keep people out of the snow.

“It’s a little bit smaller day room, and so we don’t quite have the capacity that we did before," Hendrix said. "We can still safely hold about 60 individuals in the space."

The Lighthouse Navigation Center is still operational for overnight sheltering, but with a reduced number of beds at its location.

“We have 50 beds on a regular night. During conditions such as this, we can expand to an additional 10," Hendrix said.

Due to the construction affecting capacity at the site, 45 participants from the navigation center were added to the Franklin Avenue Shelter.

The shelter is operating at full capacity, with roughly 95 beds in use.

With temperatures dropping, the Redmond Center, also run by Shepherd’s House, plans to stay open through the weekend and into Monday during daytime hours, in addition to its usual night hours.

“We would greatly appreciate any donations for winter gear, specifically focusing on gloves, socks and shoes," Hendrix said. "If folks have leftover extra sets of winter boots, extra sets of any kind of jackets they’ve upgraded for the season, please bring those old or unused jackets and winter gear by."

You can drop off donations at 181 Northeast Franklin Street or 1854 Northeast Division Street. in Bend

You can also donate to the Redmond location at 1350 S Highway 97.

The construction for the Lighthouse Navigation Center is slated for next January.

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