Roseburg Homelessness Services Assessment Report and Community Action Plan
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Roseburg Homelessness Services
Assessment Report and
Community Action Plan
Completed by: Rogue Retreat’s Hope University Community Training Program
Prepared by: Matthew Vorderstrasse, Development Director and Marchand Vorderstrasse, Volunteer
April 19
th
, 2021
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Table of Contents
Vision, Summary, Methodology 3
Consumer Survey Results 4
Community Survey Results 5
Community Interview Results 10
Site Research 12
SWOT Analysis 14
Action Plan 15
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Vision:
Roseburg envisions an inclusive community where all feel safe, supported, and have the opportunity to work
towards becoming self-sufficient. This will be accomplished through building a sustainable, coordinated social
service-based network to address the needs of the unhoused.
Lasting success will be founded on the principle of collective engagement with the entire community.
Summary:
The City of Roseburg and the Homeless Commission began the process of creating an action plan for improving
homeless safety net services in the Roseburg community in March of 2021. After conducting the survey and
interview research a strategic planning sub-committee was formed between the City and Homeless Commission.
This group met on April 14
th
, 2021 and came up with:
Methodology:
The first step in advising this plan was through conducting a needs survey to unsheltered individuals, an online
community survey for community members, and zoom and phone interviews with community leadership. In total
over 80 members of the Roseburg community took part in helping draft this assessment and plan of action for the
community to execute. The results were reviewed at a Strategic Visioning meeting that was conducted on April
14
th
, 2021. These results helped the committee establish the vision and goals of this plan.
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Consumer Survey Results
Location: Roseburg, Oregon
Total number of locations surveyed: 6 (Area around the Library/Under 2 Bridges/Dog Park/2 Parks)
Total number of subjects surveyed: 53
Male: 38
Female: 15
Age range:
18 or younger: 0
19 - 32: 12 (7m/5f)
33 - 45: 24 (17m/7f)
46+: 17 (14m/3f)
Observations that stood out during this outreach:
Access to more Domestic Violence (DV) shelter beds.
Access to immediate shelter support when DV shelter is full.
Trauma Informed Care training for medical personnel (DV specific) so that the victim does not feel
ashamed, embarrassed, or otherwise while trying to seek medical treatment as a result of a domestic
situation.
Separate individuals from 4 locations mentioned that they felt unsafe at the Mission due to the number of
sex offenders that are sheltered there.
One unsheltered individual had taken it upon himself to make a large pot of soup, and set up a table to
feed anyone who needed it. He served 13 people while we spoke to him that day. Of the subjects
surveyed there were 5 sets of m/f couples that were living unhoused together.
One individual stated that he had lived on the river for 8 years
We noticed a total of 11 dogs and 2 cats living among the unhoused during this outreach.
One of the camps visited in a local park was called Freedom Camp. It was very clean and appeared to be
self-governed. One of the camp members stated that COVID has been a blessing for the homeless.
One female that we spoke with admitted (verbally admitted / clear physical signs) to having been the
victim of a domestic assault that had occurred 3 nights prior to our contact and that was the cause of her
current status as unhoused. A volunteer from Onward Roseburg helped this individual connect with local
DV services.
Lack of family shelters break up families and causes more trauma.
One person noted that they wished people understood how stressful it is to be homeless. Always fighting
to meet the most basic of needs and never having time or the resources to plan ahead. He thinks that if
more people understood that then the community would want to do more to address why so many
people are becoming homeless.
One person stated that community leadership needs to come and stay in a camp for a night to see how it
is.
One person surveyed stated that they wanted everyone to understand that not everyone is homeless by
choice.
One person stated “one paycheck lost, and you are now homeless”.
One person stated that theft is a big issue among the homeless. Everyone is trying to survive and your
stuff is always getting stolen.
Another person stated that the homeless are used to abuse and need to feel love.
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One person noted that many of the homeless are beginning to fear the threat of violence from the
community.
Needs Specifically brought up by those that were surveyed:
A place or a space to be (organized
campground)
Low barrier year round shelter
Hand washing stations along the greenway
and within the city parks
More trash cans along the greenway
Access to sharps containers
Bathrooms in existing COVID homeless
camps with regular oversite and outreach
into the camps
Create homeless clean-up crews to help the
camps
Warming Centers during the
Winter/Cooling Centers during the Summer
Access to clean water year round
Dental or Medical Bus visits
Access to a safe shelter
Soup kitchen
Access to laundry facilities
Access to shower facilities
Medical transportation assistance
Second chance housing programs for
people with criminal history
Youth shelter
Pet friendly shelters and housing
Family shelter
Better coordination of outreach services
Friendlier Police patrols and better
relationships with law enforcement
A homeless village
More housing first programs
Senior housing and senior shelters
Better response from the Crisis Intervention
Team
Community Survey Results
Agencies that responded:
Dream Center
Onward Roseburg
The City of Roseburg
Douglas County
HIV Alliance
Anvil NW
Mercy Foundation
UCAN
The Salvation Army
Umpqua Community College
Oregon Employment Department
Douglas ESD
Aviva Health
Umpqua Valley Public Defender
i.e. Engineering (land development firm)
What do you see as the biggest needs within the homeless community?
1. Housing, mental health and drug abuse support
2. Our homeless neighbors, and their allies, need opportunity for authentic engagement with
organizational/institutional knowledge, resources and expertise.
3. We have so many -- mental health, addiction, and lack of services including affordable housing.
4. Mental Health services
5. A stable home environment or a place to call home
6. Housing first, no/low barriers to entry, supportive services for life-skill building and supporting the
transition
7. I think the two biggest needs are (1) drug treatment and prevention programs and (2) mental health
facilities as we have a lot of crazy homeless people just wandering around who need mental health
counseling and psychologic help.
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8. Access to housing and treatment of the problems that are leading to them being unhoused
9. Housing
10. Shelter, food resources, medical, transportation, access to resources such as Naloxone and Harm
Reduction supplies, HIV and HCV testing
11. Mental health resources
12. A place for them to reside, besides city parks, the river banks and other public spaces.
13. Hygiene products, weather-appropriate clothing (including jackets and socks), and tents/tarps.
14. Access to services for ailments such as mental health and housing accommodations.
15. Shelter, especially emergency housing for families
16. Shelter is the biggest need. Right now there is nowhere legal for homeless to be. The Mission is not
enough and many people are banned from there.
17. We need places for people to be. We need more recovery houses, youth shelter beds, senior housing and
shelters, recuperative shelter, etc.
18. Hope is the biggest need. You can take all sorts of steps and never get anywhere when you are homeless.
Losing hope is their biggest threat.
19. A centralized coordination of services.
20. Street level services
What is your vision for homeless services in the Roseburg Community?
1. Help them achieve basic support/needs met to stabilize them and then work on being job ready for
employment
2. I envision a day when diverse community based services meet unique needs of our homeless population.
Services including: rapid housing, permanent supported housing, housing for justice involved folks as well
as low barrier shelter(s). A community that embraces evidence based practices in lieu of personal opinion
on unhoused topics. Looking forward to the day when there is a continuum of professional paid, peer and
volunteers responding to the needs of our neighbors living under bridges.
3. Improved services close to the homeless population and away from the downtown area. A double
bottom-line that will help everyone.
4. Comprehensive and collaborative services that are easy to access throughout our county, not just
Roseburg.
5. Collaboration in providing wrapping around services that include lodging, access to food, dental and
otherwise hygiene, mental health services, as well as job resources
6. No/low barrier housing units for targeted populations, on-site support or referral to case management
and peer support services to support the individual in their housing
7. You drive around town now and you just see homeless tents and camps up everywhere and it's pretty
disheartening to see. I don't feel comfortable visiting most of our City parks with my family or enjoying
the wonderful bike paths we have along the river as these facilities are overrun with our homeless
population and they are also absolutely trashed. I also fully recognize that these are human beings who
need a place to live and basic services. I also believe that many of the homeless people living in camps
view those camps as a safe place where they are surrounded by other homeless people that check on
them, protect them, and really function as their family unit so they don't want to leave and I get that. My
vision would be to have kind of a designated homeless campus somewhere in town where there are
ample open areas that are available to camp, tiny homes available on a nightly basis (they have this in
Walla Walla) for shelter, bathing and restroom facilities that are clean, and then mental health counseling
services, drug treatment services, etc. all in one general location.
8. A one-stop shop would be great, with services designed for people struggling with mental health,
addiction, and chronic homelessness (i.e. people who don't know how to live housed anymore). We need
caseworkers and peer support to hold these people's hands until they are stable.
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9. System navigation and services to get homeless housing, food, treatment, other necessities
10. Immediate shelter, long term shelter, housing
11. Consistent, trustworthy, effective, accountable, compassionate.
12. My sister used to live here and she used the mental health services and has her former guardian I saw
services leave, new ones come, and there wasn't much consistency as far as resource/practitioner office
staying in same area for consistency to patient/client.
13. I don't have an immediate answer. But some way of putting folks to work in exchange for a bed and meals
might be a start.
14. An integrated approach from all community-based organizations so there is a unified effort and a
collaboration around addressing homeless issues and providing homeless services in a trauma-informed,
efficient, and effective manner.
15. Programs that offer benefit to not only the individual but the community, giving the homeless the help
they need while also providing a sense of accomplishment and acceptance in the community. Something
like working within the parks programs or local cleanups to beautify the city they live. Welcome them into
our community instead of treating them like outcasts.
16. I would love for there to be a shelter for men, women, and families. The property would have a kitchen,
laundry facilities, and case workers to help them find out their next steps.
17. A place where people stop judging, shaming, assaulting and antagonizing the homeless.
18. To provide individually based support services to homeless individuals interested in being housed.
Providing ongoing stabilization support services.
What does your typical interaction with the homeless community look like?
1. We are typically at the stage of getting them job ready, then working to get them employed with
education, resumes, workshops, support services and training
2. My lived experience includes serving five years as a faithful volunteer with the low barrier warming center
sponsored by Douglas County Housing and Homeless Coalition (plus 3 years engaged in warming center
operations leadership and board service). Typical interactions included community relations and resource
development alongside direct service of shared meals, creating a trauma informed environment,
responding to homeless individuals in a safe warm place on cold winter nights.
3. Minimal, mostly with Umpqua Community College students.
4. Exchange of brief conversations of their needs
5. We have tent villages all over the county. Unfortunately, human waste is creating health concerns,
garbage is spread out everywhere, and because there may be some mental health issues, some houseless
are very aggressive leaning towards violence. There is also, drug concerns that are lending a hand towards
human trafficking.
6. Meeting the client where they're at, offering supplies for their immediate needs, addressing their
personal barriers to housing to work on a client-centered housing placement and housing care plan
7. My business is located across the street from The Mission in downtown Roseburg so unfortunately my
typical interaction is asking homeless people to not sleep on my property, to not urine and defecate on
my property, to not use my outdoor water facet and leave it on, and to basically not damage or cause
harm to my building. My typical encounters with the homeless population are usually pretty upsetting
and occasionally require me to seek assistance from the Police.
8. Unfortunately, as defendants in the criminal justice system.
9. Folks camping around the duck pond or in the parking lot. Don't have many interactions
10. We engage mainly at our office and doing outreach at the dream center
11. Never positive. The problem has gotten so out of control that spaces which once seemed safe and clean
are now destroyed by tents, garbage, and unstable characters. As a city civilian, the vibe you get is that
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you are trespassing in their space. As the tourism marketers of the city, we're finding it harder and harder
to shoot video or take photos without a homeless camp in the frame. In the span of even three years its
gotten noticeably much worse.
12. Personally, I don't interact with them much outside of work. At work, we have a Social Determinants of
Health (SDOH) coordinator who helps connect our homeless patients with those resources. We just hired
a Vice President of Community Health who will help lead our efforts in interacting with the homeless
community.
13. I don't have much direct interaction with the homeless. However, I do see them every day. Whether it's
walking down the street, coming and going from a local supermarket, or simply driving down the road and
seeing the rows of tents along our rivers and in our public parks.
14. I help them with clothing, blankets, hygiene products, and food. Sometimes I can give them bus tickets for
the city bus.
15. Daily, I am a representative payee, provide access to health insurance and application assistance for Social
Security Income (SSI)/Social Security Disability Income (SSDI).
Do you/or your agency provide any services to the homeless community? If yes, please list.
1. Yes, we can provide all employment services to include support services for basic ID, birth certs, driver’s
license, etc. then move into job search, trainings, labor market, career exploration, and more.
2. I currently serve as a thoughtful member of our local Homeless Transition Action Group (HTAG).
3. UCC student services help students navigate SNAP benefits and services including mental health and
addiction counseling.
4. We do not do direct service but can refer them to services. We also train staff that work with this
population to screen for and recognize the signs of exploitation
5. We partner with Mercy Medical Center, FISH Food Pantry, Domestic Violence Coalition, DART, and Human
Trafficking Task Force.
6. Yes - supportive housing program, needle exchange, outreach, case management, peer support,
behavioral health services
7. Criminal defense
8. We may provide services to children, but that would be through schools
9. We provide full Harm Reduction resources, Case management for individuals living with HIV, Testing for
HIV, HCV and other STI, Naloxone resources for overdose reversals. Behavioral health and education
programs.
10. Healthcare services. Also, for our patients, we do connect them with community resources if it is
identified that they have an SDOH need such as homelessness.
11. We provide clothes, food, blankets, hygiene products, and laundry vouchers.
12. Clothing Ministry and meal outreach every 2 weeks.
13. Yes: housing, barrier removal -ie Identification, coordination of health care services, access to support
Services.
Are there any specialized services that you/or your agency would be willing to provide to the homeless?
1. We have a justice involved program were we can help them overcome their history of criminal activity.
This can be helping them understand what their convictions are, educate them on what type of jobs they
can get and even assist them with expungement
2. Academic preparation and professional experience in business and health services affords me the skill sets
to assist with grants writing, resource development and communications.
3. We are already providing quite a few resources and are always willing to assist as needed.
4. We would be more than happy to help Engineer and Design facilities that help or aid in our homeless
issues.
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5. Criminal defense
6. Harm Reduction resources, food resources, testing services
7. Healthcare services.
8. We would love to have a homeless shelter that we could run. We would also like to be able to give out
tents and sleeping bags to those who are needing them that cannot stay at the shelters we have in town.
9. We used to operate an inclement weather shelter until COVID.
Are you aware of any funding that could be leveraged to help establish programs and services?
1. Whipple Foundation. Oregon Community Foundation. State of Oregon funds tied to HB 5042.
2. There may be some additional funding for more community benefit efforts.
3. My program has funding for ongoing rent support and supportive services (case management, peer
support, medical case management, behavioral health services) for people living with HIV that have
housing instability/homelessness in combination with behavioral health and/or substance use issues. This
can be used to establish master lease or "set-aside" unit opportunities for our program clients
(guaranteed rent whether or not unit is occupied) and possibly to collaborate with other community
partners on purchasing property for this purpose.
4. Possibly the CJC/JRI grants
5. OCF Whipple Fund and other OCF funds and Ford Family Foundation
6. My thought is that city funds should be utilized to establish these programs and services.
Is there any additional information or concerns that you want to provide?
1. I notice local community based agencies, politicians and individuals holding tight to the notion of housing
readiness and not yet ready to embrace housing first models for unhoused populations. While I believe in
and hold deep respect for volunteer contributions, the time has come for professional paid staff to
provide, coordinate and develop comprehensive services for our unhoused neighbors. I hold hope for
community development for the good of all citizens, not just for some, but for everyone.
2. We have many students who are homeless, which is a different population than you see in downtown
Roseburg. Some live in their cars and others couch surf between friends and family. Even though the focus
is on campus and downtown, I hope we can broaden the conversation to include students who are
working hard to improve their lives. Thanks for listening.
3. My concern is services that are localized only to Roseburg. Our county is 5000 square miles with many
rural areas where there are unsheltered people. Unsheltered youth have no business being with
unsheltered adults either.
4. Collaboration is the key. There are many factors as to why there are houseless-those reasons need to be
addressed instead of continuing to think we know what our houseless populations needs. Thank you
5. I applaud the effort. The homeless issues in Roseburg have really been escalating for the last couple of
years and something drastic needs to be done before we get to a situation where members of the general
public and property owners decide to take matters into their own hands.
6. I think if we can get accessible services that treat the underlying causes of homelessness, it will reduce the
unhoused population, and reduce their involvement in the criminal justice system.
7. Would love to see the results of the survey completed among the houseless as to what their needs are.
8. Making sure all shelters are low barrier with access and provisions for Harm Reduction resources,
naloxone, syringe drop off.
9. I realize that there are no easy answers to this problem. But it is a real problem that the city needs to
address. Turning a blind eye is basically enabling the situation. And as this situation goes on, the city feels
less and less safe.
10. It seems like there isn't a solid plan between the various agencies and organizations in the community to
address homeless concerns. However, there seems to be a strong group of folks that want to tackle these
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issues. I think it just will take someone coming up with a vision to get everyone on the same page working
together.
11. Honestly, I work for the tourism organization for the city of Roseburg. The growing homeless population is
slowly taking over our public parks and river front areas. By this I mean there are large camps literally
within the parks. On the grass, trails, sidewalks. Along the river, there is trash and waste build-up, which
then enters the rivers as they rise. In my opinion, something needs to be done to start cleaning that up.
And I don't mean simply kicking out the homeless. I mean shepherding them into the community and
giving them a reason to want to keep our town clean. We all share this space, and the better the town
does economically (through people moving here, visiting/vacationing, new business, etc.) the more funds
we have to put toward the homeless community.
12. The biggest problem for this town is housing. We have two shelters in town, one for women and one for
men, but none for families. Families wind up getting separated. We really need housing for families.
Community Interview Results
Commissioner Boice, Douglas County
Stuart I. Cowie, Roseburg Community Development Director
Shelley Briggs, Homeless Commission
Kelley Wessels, UCAN
Shaun Pritchard, UCAN
Mayor Larry Rich, City of Roseburg
Dr. Greg Brigham, Adapt
Council Member Bob Cottrell, City of Roseburg
Mike Fieldman, Legislative Staffer, Retired CAP Agency Director
Dr. Eric Soder
What do you see as the biggest need facing the homeless community?
1. People need a space to be and they need to have access to adequate hygienic facilities to help eliminate
environmental risks. We need to start with identifying a space for people to be.
2. Campsite/Shelter/Tiny House Village. We need space outside of the City parks and downtown for people
to be.
3. We need a better system for addressing homeless needs. The community will not donate to the current
system.
4. A permanent place to be.
5. Move away from a one size fits all approach to shelter and housing.
6. A year round low barrier shelter.
7. More programs that meet people where they are at.
8. A housing and shelter continuum.
9. Homeless youth shelter.
10. More transitional programs.
11. Community village and non-congregate shelters.
12. Virtual navigation center services.
Who do you see in the community that can help lead this work?
1. The City Council would like to see Rogue Retreat help lead this work.
2. UCAN can help with Admin, Case Management, and Funding.
3. Adapt could help with parts of this work.
What threats do you see in the community?
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1. We need to continue moving away from the “move along strategy”.
2. Continuing to stay in our community silos while blaming each other. It maintains the status quo.
3. Not having enough voices around the table. The County feels like it has been left out of the discussion.
4. General hate towards the homeless.
5. Advocates that antagonize relationships.
6. Everyone blaming each other for the problem while doing nothing.
7. Site services that cause people to congregate.
8. No agency that has the bandwidth to operate the programs and follow funding and reporting
requirements.
9. NIMBYism (Not in my back yard) and politicking.
10. Turf wars and infighting between agencies and homeless groups.
What opportunities do you see in the community?
1. The County would be willing to join the Homeless Commission.
2. Roseburg’s $1.5 million award for a Navigation Center.
3. Possibly partner the Navigation Center with Adapt creating a Sobering Center.
4. Political and community will is growing to accomplish this work.
5. HB 2006 is a housing bill that will support 3 pilot projects like Emerald Village (permanent tiny house
village in Cottage Grove, ran by Square One Villages). Roseburg is one of 4 Pilot Sites in the State of
Oregon.
6. Leveraging the Youth Shelter building that closed.
7. Adapt could partner to help create more recovery and transitional housing.
8. Funding could be easily leveraged into this work.
9. YMCA could partner with a program for childcare. Family Development as well.
10. There may be other Southern Oregon agencies that could expand to do this work in Roseburg as well.
What funding do you know that can be leveraged into this work?
1. The County might be willing to invest up to $1,000,000.00 into a viable solution. The County also has one
C3 zoned property that is in close proximity to services.
2. UCAN could help with leveraging funding from OHCS, HUD, and possibly other funders.
3. CCO funding
4. United Way of Douglas County.
5. The Roseburg community can be very giving.
What is your vision for homeless services in the Roseburg community?
1. “Umpqua Retreat”, the Rogue Retreat Model working in Douglas County.
2. Clean Rivers, parks, Downtown and a space for those that are homeless to be.
3. A community that is giving hand ups rather than handouts.
4. For Roseburg to match the work that Medford is doing.
5. A community that provides a mix of services along the whole continuum of need.
6. Campsite/Shelter/Tiny Homes/Clean Sweep.
7. A humane and safe place for people to be with wrap around supports.
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What is needed for potential sites for programs?
Each type of program will have its own unique specifications of what will be needed to make a site viable for
services. One of the most crucial pieces regardless of program type is transportation. Is the property near a
transportation line and how close is the site to other service providers that often the homeless will need to have
access to? Below are some examples of what a shelter site, camp, or village might look like.
For a 24/7 shelter program, commercial industrial properties and lots are what you would be looking for. Here is
an example of how that property could be set up in an existing warehouse or a lower cost Sprung Structure.
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For Urban Campgrounds and villages here is an example of how a property would need to be set up:
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SWOT Analysis
Roseburg Homeless Action Plan
Strengths Weaknesses
$1.5 million for Navigation Center
Existing Community Collaborations
(HTAG, Impacts Program, Homeless
Commission, LPSCC, Mobile Crisis
Intervention, Grass Roots groups etc.)
Community awareness and engagement
around homelessness
Political and community will to make the
changes
Openness to other entities coming in to
help provide services
Homeless Commission and the
organizations represented on it.
Controversy and general lack of
understanding- Community perception
No organization with the bandwidth to
start up ad operate programming. No
organization has the needed experience.
NIMBY
Land use restrictions
Some percentage of homeless make it
harder on others due to behavioral
issues.
Legal landscape is in constant flux
Lack of engagement with the homeless in
services
No centralized information sharing which
leads to lack of shared understanding of
available services
Lack of consequences for not engaging in
services once referred to them.
$1.5 Million for Navigation Center.
Establish centralized information system
Strengthening partnerships and building
relationships with community based
organizations.
Strengthen existing service providers in
the community
Bringing healthcare into addressing social
determinants of health.
Engage with Rogue Retreat and learn
how they have structured their programs
in Medford
Raised awareness in the community
about homelessness
Provide both consequence and incentives
to follow through with service referrals
Achieve the culture and desires of our
community
June 2022 Opening Date for Navigation
Center
Finding an organization with the
bandwidth to stand up programs,
operate programs, and report to funders.
Migrating homeless groups that cycle in
and out
CBO (Community Based Organization)
inability to find the right incentives or
consequences to enter services.
COVID- Shelter in Place order
Political controversy over the right path
forward
Opportunities Threats
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Action Plan Goals
Short term goals for the Commission (3 months)-
Establish tactical sub-committees to help lead out the creation of these programs. Sub-committees will
be made up of community based organizations, community members, etc. Tasks the committees will
first accomplish:
Navigation Center and low barrier shelter- clarify the parameters for the funding (resource
coordination center, and low barrier shelter)- What is required for the site? Could the shelter
requirement be met by doing an Urban Campground/Pallet Shelters?
Identify the lead organization or organizations to help stand up and operate the programs. The
lead organization or organizations will have the bottom line responsibility of managing the day-
to-day operations of the programs.
Create a comprehensive property inventory for potential program development.
Facilitate a forum to develop a perspective and strategy related to information sharing and
referrals.
Create an outreach and livability sub-committee of the homeless commission to focus just on
short-term needs of the homeless. This committee could become the hub for helping centralize
and coordinate outreach services.
Establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rogue Retreat to help provide
coaching, consulting and training services.
Mid-Range (6 months) -
Investigate potential ordinance updates to help create a pathway for program creation.
-Connect with Grants Pass and Medford for Code examples
Long Term (1 Year and longer)-
Create an information sharing system between Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) and the
community.
-Check with UCAN on existing systems that could be tied into
Create a job readiness program like Clean Sweep in Medford
-Talk to Rescue Mission and Samaritan Inn
Create an Urban Campground
Create a funding committee to help address long-term sustainability of homeless programs.
Establish a Navigation Center and a Year Round Low barrier shelter.
Conduct an annual Homeless Commission Retreat to Review/Readjust/Refocus community
efforts- Quality Assurance
Other Goals the Community can help with:
Find additional providers for seasonal and event weather shelter sites (both warming centers
and cooling centers.
Establish more medical and dental outreach into the community.
Help establish more group housing programs (recovery houses, mental health houses, medical
respite, senior housing, medically assisted treatment housing, etc.)
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Storage lockers for the homeless to store vital records.
Lead with empathy.
Other recommendations:
Establish a community livability team to provide outreach and work directly with the homeless
and the community.
Investigate Sprung Structures as a possibility for the Navigation Center. To learn more follow this
link: https://www.sprung.com/
More trauma informed training for CBO’s/Community Leadership/Law Enforcement/and the
general community.
Create a collaborative grant fund with the Rural Continuum of Care (CoC) to help target grant
funding into Roseburg for CBO’s to stand up services.
Create an ongoing Technical Assistance program through the Homeless Commission and the
Rural CoC for the smaller grass roots groups in Roseburg. The assistance will help them grow and
also increase their bandwidth for reporting and providing services as this work progresses.
Create a community awareness campaign to show how big the homeless issue really is.
Conduct relationship building activities between the City, County, CBO’s. Grass Roots groups,
and the homeless. There is a lot of hurt that is in the community and building positive
relationships with each other will start the healing process.
Engage with Umpqua Community College to help create student housing for homeless students.