Bend shelters at capacity; more room sought
An estimated 900 people reported they were homeless in Bend in January, according to the Homeless Leadership Coalition’s Point in Time count. In a city that is rapidly evolving, that number is expected to continue growing along with it.
On Tuesday, the city of Bend, along with the Homeless Leadership Coalition, held a meeting with the public to discuss the urgent need for more warming shelters in Bend.
James Cook, chair of the Homeless Leadership Coalition, says there is an estimated need for at least 100 beds in Bend. Currently, there are between 20 and 30 beds available.
Colleen Thomas, co-chair of the coalition, says the state gave the group $150,000 in funding to distribute to shelters throughout Central Oregon. Attendees at the meeting said there is not enough money to meet people’s needs.
Thomas says if not enough shelters open up in Bend, people likely would travel to places like Sisters, Redmond and La Pine.
“That’s one of the things we’re hoping to alleviate,” Thomas says. “With folks having to go to other locations across the region, we’re trying to avoid that, so that those facilities can continue to operate like they normally would.”
Chad Carpenter, the pastor of Calvary Chapel in La Pine, says the chapel’s doors are open to anyone seeking warmth in the cold weather. That includes people who are not homeless.
“We got a phone call last year from somebody saying, ‘I have a certain sexual orientation. Am I allowed to come and stay?'” Carpenter says. “And my response was, ‘Are you cold?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Then you can come to stay.'”
Carpenter says the chapel’s food and supplies are mostly donated from the community. He says six of the cots were donated by another local church. The chapel is the only warming shelter in La Pine. Carpenter says it had two guests and three volunteers stay overnight on Monday, due to the sub-freezing temperatures.
In Bend, as of Monday, the First Presbyterian Church is the only place that has applied as an alternative shelter facility. But Bend Fire Marshal Larry Medina says that like most churches, First Presbyterian has the space, but not enough volunteers or staff to oversee shelter operations.
City leaders say an ideal alternative shelter would have an open space, a kitchen and parking spaces for people who have vehicles.
For a full list of available warming shelters, visit NeighborImpact’s website. NeighborImpact is a 21 Cares for Kids partner.
