BEND, OR -- Warmer weather is prompting concerns about the houseless community. Shepherd’s House Ministries needs donations of bottled water. Development Director Dave Notari tells KBND News last year’s heatwave was eye-opening; this year, they want to be proactive, "Because we saw a little bit of the similar weather pattern last week, with the high temperatures, we knew this was going to be really important to us."
Notari says Central Oregon’s homeless resources are getting stretched, "Those experiencing the dilemma of homelessness continues to increase, as you see the Point In Time count uptick. And also the fact that there’s challenges with supply chain issues, with the resources to be able to get things out." Donations of bottled water and grab-n-go snacks can be dropped off at the Shepherd’s House shelter at 1954 NE Division. Those donations will be distributed through the Division shelter and the new navigation center on Second Street.
The Lighthouse Navigation Center officially opened Thursday. It's a partnership between the city of Bend and Shepherd’s House, approved three months ago, to connect the houseless population with additional services. Notari says the center is inside the overnight shelter on Second, near Burnside, "We’ve provided overnight services, which have included a couple of meals. Now, with the Lighthouse Navigation Center opening up, we’ve really expanded that to include case management for those who are accessing the shelter services; helping them to be able to find their way to doctor visits, to mental health visits, to getting employment assistance, to getting legal assistance." The 10,000 square-foot shelter opened about 18 months ago and Notari says adding the navigation center is a dream come true, "We just reconfigured it so the main sleeping area now has bunks in it, and all of the sleeping occurs in that portion of the building. And then, we’ve converted what was considered sort of mixed family sheltering to an actual navigation center, where there’s services, there’s tables, there’s counseling rooms, there’s computer stations."
A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lighthouse Navigation Center is planned for July 12.
