Shepherd’s House Ministries opened three cooling shelters — two in Bend and one in Redmond — as temperatures are expected to hit triple digits every day this week.
The daytime cooling shelters will run Monday – Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The shelter locations are:
- The Lighthouse Navigation Center at 275 NE 2nd St in Bend
- The Shepherd’s House at 1854 NE Division Street in Bend
- 1350 S. Highway 97 in Redmond
At the Bend location on Monday, they saw double the number of people they usually see.
“The foods good, I enjoy it here, and the weather’s terrible,” said visitor Corey Capone. “So I’d be really hot out there and probably get into some sort of trouble if I was out there.”
“They offer water, a nice showers, all that. Cold beverage, stuff to drink,” said visitor Richard Ostlend. “It actually helped out quite a bit.”
Volunteer Manager Brenda Jackson said the resource is crucial for the houseless in extreme weather.
“I think they’ve just been relieved that they have a place to go, and they know they have a place to go all week as the heat continues into the triple digits,” she said. “For some people with underlying conditions it can be life and death for them, so it’s a relief to know they have that.”
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“Every single person in Central Oregon will be impacted by these high temperatures as far as people experiencing homelessness all of them will. So we’re prepared to accommodate who we need to take in to keep them safe and cool outside the heat,” said Redmond director Andrew Hoeksema.
Shepherd’s House will also have its Share van drive round Bend to deliver cold water and snacks to people without homes in the area.
They are looking for volunteers to help with the Bend and Redmond shelters. And donations of water bottles, freezer snacks such as otter pops, and pre-packaged snacks are welcomed.
Sign up to volunteer or make a financial contribution online at www.shepherdshouseministries.org.
Deschutes County Outreach Team
The five-person Deschutes County Outreach Team is also gathering donations at various locations in the county to distribute to homeless encampments throughout this week.
“Last year was one of our main years that we made a really coordinated effort to get resources and donations collected and brought out to folks,” said the county’s Homeless Outreach Services Supervisor, Colleen Thomas. “We want to make sure that we are coordinated and collaborative so we’re not scrambling this year and we’re getting better and better, unfortunately as these events are continuing to happen.”
The team joined other community groups last week to form a plan when they saw the forecast.
“There’s many different factors why folks can’t come in to services in town so we want to make sure we’re meeting them and bringing access to water where they might not have that, and food, hat, or sunscreen,” Thomas added. “And the other part of that is to just educate folks on the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke as well.”
Folks can donate gatorade, hats, sunscreen, or other items at the following locations:
Masonic Temple – 1036 NE 8th St., Bend, OR 97701 (Mon-Fri 9 a.m.- 1 p.m.)
Mountain View Fellowship– 1475 SW 35th St. Redmond, OR 97756 (Mon-Thurs 9 a.m.-1p.m.)
Habitat for Humanity– 382 E Hood Ave, Sisters, OR (Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.)
Madras Garden Depot – 1665 NW Warm Springs Hwy, Madras, OR 97741
