MADRAS, OR -- Just in time for sub-freezing weather, Madras opened its year-around Secure Care Shelter Thursday, January 11th. It will operate from daily 6 pm to 7 am.
The Jefferson County Faith Based Network previously operated temporary emergency shelters during extreme weather.
Shelter Coordinator Pat Abernathy says the permanent facility was a five-year effort, “We're very excited about this new era for us and being able to help our homeless population, which is really a joy. I mean, it's work, but it's really a joy to make a difference.”
She tells KBND News they will add staff, “We will eventually have a case manager that will help people find resources. We'll do things like foot care. We'll have haircuts, we'll have different people come in that are licensed people in their field and we'll actually help them.”
“Our community partners are really, really amazing from the city, you know, whatever we need, our police department, they're wonderful. So, we have really, really good support from different community partners… and the churches, the churches are extremely supportive of us here. So, we have a great community partnership and we're very close knit as a community in Jefferson County, anyway,” she says.
The City of Madras helped secure State and Federal grants for the Oak Street project.
