How Redmond’s Oasis Village transitional housing program is doing in its first week after accepting 20 residents

(Update: Adding video and comments from program officials)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After sped-up construction to meet last week's deadline set by Gov. Tina Kotek, Oasis Village, Hayden Homes and Simplicity by Hayden Homes said the transitional housing program opened last Wednesday to 20 previously houseless Central Oregonians -- just as snow and bitter cold moved in.

"Yesterday, all 20 of the individuals arrived," Hayden Holmes Vice President of Community Engagement Deborah Flagan told us last Thursday. "And last night, they were able to spend their first night in a warm bed and having to start their journey to stability."

The timing of the completion and opening of Oasis Village was indeed fortuitous, coming as the first major snowstorm of the season hit the region and just days before the weekend's heavy snowfall and extreme cold, another challenge for the region's homeless.

Matthew Draxton was invited to tour the community space and individual units on Monday and spoke with those involved in the program about how it's going for the new residents.

Residents at Oasis Village are settling in nicely in their new temporary housing units. Upon move-in, residents are given basic essentials to help get them back on their feet.

"The idea is, housing first," said former Oasis Village executive director Eleanor Bessonette. "Once you get into stable housing, safe housing, then you can start looking at the rest of your life and maybe making healthier choices."

In the community center, residents have access to laundry machines, bath and showers, a full kitchen, personal pantry bins, and an industrial fridge and freezer. Within their own housing units, residents have storage bins, shelves, closet space, a desk, a bed and a heater. When the weather improves, there’s also a community garden and parking lot, with the goal of residents living independently.

Before we arrived, Bessonette told us, "A couple of them are enjoying cooking in there. There was a plate of pancakes this morning piled high for everyone to come in.”

She also touched on how things we take for granted have gotten plenty of praise.

"A couple of them were just like, 'Oh my gosh, a bathtub! I can’t remember the last time I had a bath!' So just some things that we often tend to overlook, that we take for granted that are kind of life-changing for folks.”

There are no requirements for those who apply, and residents can stay for up to two years, as long as they’re making progress. Goals vary, but as of now Oasis Village has a full-time case manager, part-time peer support and part-time mentor, with the hope of eventually having around-the-clock mentors.

By the end of the year, Oasis Village plans to have 25 units in total, adding 10 more from its current numbers, as well as having around-the-clock services available to residents in need.

Oasis Village is located near the Redmond Airport along Highway 126, with 15 individual housing units and a community center. The city, Deschutes County and the state invested over $1 million in the project. Oasis Village also received funding from community sponsors, while Hayden Homes funded over $150,000 and managed the entire project.

Speaking on what residents could expect, Flagan said, “Once they're connected to services and that they're actually in a safe and warm place, they can start to work on their recovery and be connected with the items that are impacting their homeless situation.”

Bessonette said in regard to services, "We work together as a community while providing wraparound services for them. If they'd like to take advantage of those or have access to those. So hopefully their next step is on to very much to be in independent stable, housing.

Oasis Village is the third shelter project in Deschutes County the company has supported. Each is low-barrier, meaning the requirements for entry are minimal, with a focus on harm reduction. oasis village does not have requirements on drugs or require sobriety The idea instead is to start by providing housing first and address their personal obstacles second in order to create a foundation for a new start.

The 100-square-foot units have a bed, desk, closet and storage, while bathrooms, showers, laundry, and kitchen are in a community space.   

"The most important (thing) is that we're seeing individuals that are actually entering these villages and within an eight-month time period or a year's time period, they're actually moving on to the next step, so they can start over or start with anything," Flagan said.

Half of the units in the village were built by students at Redmond High School and Heart of Oregon Corps Youth Build. The Redmond School District and the Rotary Club of Redmond, along with many other private businesses also gave community support to the project.