BEND, OR -- An old motel in Bend gets new life as an apartment complex for people escaping homelessness. "This is something that hasn't been done much before and has not been done at all, here in Central Oregon," says COIC Housing Specialist Erik Nelson. He tells KBND News the Old Mill Inn & Suites, on SE Third, will soon reopen as the Old Mill Apartments, "This is a supportive rehousing project, is what we call this, because they are permanent housing units and it is not merely housing for those who have experienced homelessness. It also comes with supportive services for those households."
Nelson tells KBND News those services will range from help finding a job to accessing food or government assistance, "And it is client's choice as to which services they need and are wanting to have. There is no requirement that residents of this project commit themselves to some type of supportive services. We cannot do that. That's a Fair Housing thing."
The complex will provide 76 studio-apartment style units with space for up to three people in each. There are also shared laundry facilities, a mailroon and a leasing office. Nelson says priority will be given to residents in marginalized communities, "The BIPOC population - that's Black, Indigenous People of Color - Specifically those who are Indigenous or the Latino population, overrepresented in the homeless response system; the medically vulnerable and LGBTQ+ youth." Each unit will be leased at a fair-market rate, as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
It's one of a number of local projects funded by the Governor's 2023 executive order to combat the homeless crisis. "Although this project is just now coming online, it was originally, in its genesis, it started in 2023," says Nelson, "And then, there were several construction delays, for a variety of different reasons." He says they're securing a property management company, going through applications from potential residents and setting up support services in anticipation of residents moving in within a few weeks.
