Upgraded Bethlehem Inn hits $9 million campaign goal

Bethlehem Inn’s Transforming Lives Together capital fundraising campaign to rebuild its aging campus has reached its $9 million campaign goal, as the Bend emergency shelter puts the finishing touches on the renovated facility, the organization’s leadership announced Monday.

For three years, donors throughout the region have rallied behind the Inn’s campaign to replace its former buildings – a converted 1960s-era motel – with a new facility designed specifically to help people transition from homelessness to stability.

The completed campus allows the Inn to serve 50 additional people per night, according to a news release from the organization, which continues in full below:

“We are just overwhelmed by the generosity of our community,” said Bethlehem Inn Executive Director Gwenn Wysling.

Indeed, there were early doubts whether a program serving homeless individuals and families in Bend could manage to raise $9 million.

“It happened because of some very special individuals,” says Wysling. ” Board members, volunteers, individuals, families and business leaders all played a huge role in making it happen. The results will transform thousands of lives in our region for generations to come. ”

The Inn announced it had raised a total of $9,188,180. A grant of $280,000 from Murdock Charitable Trust, based in Vancouver Washington, provided the final gift. This was the Murdock Trust’s second major grant to the rebuilding of the Bethlehem Inn campus.

The Inn also announced that vendors to the construction project also donated more than $445,000 in goods and services to the project. Bethlehem Inn Board Chair Howard Friedman confirmed the successful campaign means the new Bethlehem Inn campus is fully paid for.

Climbing Two Peaks

The Transforming Lives Together capital campaign began over three years ago at the home of community volunteers and supporters of the Inn, Mike and Adele Tennant.

After the Inn’s Board of Directors approved the launch of the capital campaign, Mike and Adele hosted the first meeting of the Capital Campaign Council. More than a dozen community leaders attended and pledged support. Mike and Adele’s daughter Heather Tennant Salvesen soon became an instrumental leader in the campaign, assuming the role of Capital Campaign Chair in January 2017.

Heather, together with Bethlehem Inn leadership and Capital Campaign Consultant Mark Sherman, established a campaign roadmap with two peaks to climb. Salvesen explained, “Peak one raised the money to replace the Inn’s dilapidated family residence with a new combined Family Residence and Service Hub. After that, we aimed for peak two, which raised the funds for a new Next Steps Residence for single adults.”

Over the course of three years, the campaign met every benchmark. As soon as the architectural design was approved and permitting was obtained, the money was there to start construction on the Family Residence and Service Hub. As part of this effort, Salvesen engineered a friendly fundraising competition between the Central Oregon Association of Realtors ( COAR ) and Central Oregon Builders Association ( COBA ). Together, the builders and realtors generated over $750,000 in support of the project, which led to a matching contribution from the Paloma Blanca Foundation, the largest single contribution to the campaign.

Other contributions of $500,000 or more included: a couple who gave anonymously, Anjulicia Foundation, Central Oregon Health Council, City of Bend, The Murdock Charitable Trust, and The Ford Family Foundation. Additional foundations supporting the campaign included: The Collins Foundation, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, HEDCO Foundation, The Samuel DeLeone Trust, The Bend Foundation, and Tennant Charitable Trust.

Thanks to steady and strong support, the Inn was able to complete the Family Residence and Service Hub on time in the summer of 2018. It was featured in the 2018 Tour of Homes, with hundreds of visitors pouring through the newly opened doors.

Strong fundraising momentum continued, with construction beginning immediately on the Single Adults Residence, the second “peak” of the campaign.

The final touches are still being made on the Bethlehem Inn campus, but both buildings are now fully in use. With careful coordination between the Inn and the construction team, the Inn did not miss a single day of service to people in need.

Bethlehem Inn leadership praised the efforts of the project’s architect, Ascent Architecture, and general contractor, Sunwest Builders, who kept the project running smoothly and effectively. Executive Director Wysling expressed gratitude to these firms, as well as to the many other subcontractors and vendors who provided discounts to the Inn.

According to Salvesen , ” It really comes down to transforming lives. Hundreds of generous volunteers and donors worked together because we believe in a community where we reach out to others at a time of need. We believe in the Inn, where thousands of people will have a better chance rebuild their lives. ”

Impact of Campaign on Bend

The new Bethlehem Inn campus not only increases the capacity of the Inn from 90 to 140 residents, it also provides space for collaboration with community partners and improves the program support opportunities for all residents. A highly-needed commercial kitchen now provides nutritious meals on site. Residents are safer due to enhanced security systems. Energy-efficient features make the Inn more environmentally sustainable. And, for the first time, the Inn is fully ADA accessible for people with disabilities.

“We know our region is continuing to grow and change,” says Wysling. ” In a dynamic region like ours, people fall into situations of crisis. A lost job, or a medical need, is all it takes to start a tailspin. The Inn is the place where people can come to get out of crisis and back onto a stable path. ”

Next Steps for the Inn

With the capital campaign now complete, the Inn is focused on sustaining support needed to keep the new facilities operating at full capacity. “We have space to serve 50 additional children and adults per night, and demand for our services has never been higher,” Wysling said. “Our top priority is to make sure we can sustain these additional residents with the crucial support they need at a cost of $33 per night.”

Wysling explained that the additional 50 people served per night includes an average of 20 children, 10 parents, and 20 single adults. The Inn is already raising support from donors committed to making annual contributions to support sustained service expansion in the new facilities. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Kim Fischbach , Director of Philanthropy at kim@bethleheminn.org.

Ribbon Cutting and Open House Announced for November 14

The Inn has announced plans for a community open house and dedication of the new Bethlehem Inn Campus on Thursday, November 14 th at 4 pm.

Bethlehem Inn is Central Oregon’s largest emergency shelter; providing shelter, food and case management services to over 1,100 adults and children last year; over 105 ,, 000 meals were served to people in crisis. To learn more about Bethlehem Inn and its Transforming Lives Together capital campaign please visit www.bethleheminn.org . Follow us on Facebook/ BethlehemInnBend or Instagram. Donations may also be mailed to Bethlehem Inn, P.O. Box 8540, Bend, OR 97708.