Deschutes County approves funding for revived shelter operation at Bend’s former Rainbow Motel

(Update: Adding video, comments from Deschutes County commissioners, Shepherd's House Ministries)

Deschutes County Commissioners approve $750,000 from ARPA fund for Franklin Avenue Shelter

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Shelter space soon will become available again at the former Rainbow Hotel in Bend. It previously opened last July to serve the homeless, but only operated for a brief period of time.

Deschutes County commissioners on Wednesday approved revisions to their partnership with the city of Bend, using $750,000 of the $3 million total they previously approved to operate the former Rainbow Motel on Franklin Avenue as a shelter, in partnership with Shepherd's House.

"We definitely want to get people into housing," Commissioner Patti Adair said. "We want to get them off the street. We want to quit moving people from location to location."

The city and county each initially agreed in 2021 to direct $1.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to address the need for more shelter space for homeless in the area, including $750,000 for a temporary outdoor shelter operated by Central Oregon Villages. The city purchased with former motel in early 2022 for $4.55 million, from state and federal sources.

Units at the Central Oregon Villages facility are due to open in mid-May, and the city plans to use $750,000 of the funding to operate the former motel as the Franklin Avenue Shelter.

"Most of it will be used for the operation for this non-congregate shelter - staffing, 24-hour management, security," Commissioner Phil Chang said.

Shepherd’s House Ministries said it will manage services at the shelter in the next 6-8 weeks, similar to how they’re operating the Lighthouse Navigation Center.

“They’ll still have access to two, three meals a day," Director of Lighthouse Navigation Services Evan Hendrix said. "They’ll still have access to case management, peer support. We’ll still have providers coming through, checking on them on a regular basis."

At the former motel, the city plans to create more than 60 beds of non-congregate shelter, costing about $1.2 million a year to operate, in partnership with Shepherd's House. There will be rooms set aside for families with children and those with medical needs.

Adair said, “It’s a lot more personalized, because people will have their own rooms."

Commissioner Tony DeBone said he's more interested in seeing a comprehensive vision, when it comes to tackling homelessness. His focus is on getting rid of unsanctioned camping.

“Okay, this is more services in our community," DeBone said. "Is this enough to get something meaningful done in our community? Is this the best use of our dollars? There’s just questions all over this."

Chang said, “I tried to make the argument that this type of non-congregate shelter serves specific needs. When you combine treatment with a stable safe place where you can sleep at night, those treatments are a lot more successful."

County commissioners addressed the need for mental health, behavioral, and addiction services, as well as shelter space to tackle homelessness.