Sisters Cold Weather Shelter hears community concerns

The Sisters Cold Weather Shelter held a meeting Monday evening to get input from the community to make sure the shelter is able to co-exist well with its neighbors.

The purpose of the meeting was to allow for the community to voice their concerns or support for the warming shelter.

The meeting was full, after an incident in January.

A man at the shelter harmed himself, which was the reason the shelter decided to hold the interactive session.

Those who attended the meeting were able to fill out comment cards and also speak for a short period of time about their opinions of the shelter.

Many spoke in favor of the facility, saying it’s a positive thing for the community.

But others said they have doubts about the shelter, saying it’s located too close to neighborhoods and schools.

Lois Kaping is the Westside Sisters Church liaison for the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter. She said the shelter is a vital part of the community and hopes she’s able to work with residents to make sure the shelter can thrive.

“I just hope that they take away that what we are providing is a really valuable service to keep people alive, and that they would understand better who we are serving and who we aren’t serving — that would be the main goal,” Kaping said. “And that we can all just appreciate one and other.”

Kaping said on any given night, the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter houses seven to 12 guests.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office also was in attendance at the meeting, noting a very small number of the crimes in Sisters involve the homeless population.

All of the comments and questions will now go to the steering committee for the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter at their upcoming meeting. That’s when decisions and changes could be made to policies at the shelter.

Learn more about the shelter, which moves between three area churches, at their Facebook page.