Bethlehem Inn expanding as homeless numbers rise
Homelessness has risen nearly 6 percent in Oregon from last year. And Deschutes County is not immune.
On one night in January, officials counted 778 people without homes. Some 548 of those people were living completely unsheltered. Overall, that’s a 31 percent increase since 2015.
Colleen Thomas, the homeless outreach coordinator for Deschutes County Health Services, said Friday a number of factors are to blame.
“Locally, one of the big things is the increase in rental prices, folks being forced out of their rentals and not being able to find anything else affordable,” Thomas said. “So that’s definitely a big part of it.”
The Bethlehem Inn is a transitional homeless shelter in Bend. Since July, it’s been working on a new building to house more people and offer more services.
When it opens, the shelter will double services for homeless families, with 10 total rooms for families. The new building also will have a commercial kitchen, which will be a game-changer for the shelter, which serves about 77,000 meals a year.
Gwenn Wysling, Bethlehem Inn’s executive director ,said the homeless community is grateful for the project.
“People are amazed at what is finally happening,” she said. “They’re grateful for the warmth of a bed and a hot meal and a hot shower. And it’s going to be for generations to come, to serve a lot more people in a more efficient and much better way.”
Construction is expected to be completed next June, and then the next phase of the project will begin.
“This is a project that our community is making possible,” Wysling said. “We’ve raised $6.7 million. We have a goal of another $1.4 (million) just to get us started on our next building in June that can replace the old frozen pipes and singles building that desperately needs to be replaced as well.”
On Sunday afternoon, the public is invited to sign the walls of the unfinished building with messages of hope. The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit: https://bethleheminn.org/capital-campaign/
