A city councilor that I spoke with says the city is willing to work with non-profits to set up shelter for those in need, but she says road blocks such as COVID-19 and funding issues, keep surfacing.
Homelessness is steadily increasing in Josephine County. According to UCAN, or United Community Action Network, over 1,400 people were considered homeless in the county in 2020.
“It can be conditions of people living in cars, moving around trying move vehicles in different safe parking spaces. We have people living in substandard environments,” said Kelly Wessels, the Chief Operating Officer for UCAN.
She says between 46 and 52% of Josephine County’s homeless are 18 years old or younger. Not everyone can stay in the only shelter in the city, the Gospel Rescue Mission.
It requires people to attend church and has other rules people must follow to gain entry.
“Right now without that anchor, that location where people can be stable we find that people find more of their time in survival mode and less time being able to address self-sufficiency.”
“We want other options besides the religious ones,” said Grants Pass City Councilor, Valerie Lovelace.
She says it’s not the city’s job to create a shelter.
“We’re considered heartless because we don’t do something, but once again, the city is currently in a budget crisis trying to fund public safety, we just made nearly 2 million dollars in our budget just to move forward,” said Lovelace.
The city did open a warming shelter in 2019, but closed due to funding issues.
Even more recently, Medford based Rogue Retreat attempted to lease a former UCAN property in Grants Pass to create a shelter in conjunction with the city.
But, Lovelace says the owner of the building decided against the plan.
“He pulled out his lease, that’s where we’re at right now. So, it has the approval of the City Council, but the owner has cold feet because they didn’t really have the support of the community and the other businesses around there,” she said.
Both Lovelace and Wessels hope a solution will come up soon, because both acknowledge there is a need in Josephine County’s largest city.
“We want something to be set-up, we do have on our agenda to discuss an urban campground, because we do want something working in the future,” said Lovelace.
“We have so many different partners in our community that are coming together to support our homeless community and we all have our specialties that we do, so bringing them all together in one spot would be ideal,” added Wessels.
Councilor Lovelace says she doesn’t believe a shelter will come together this year, but hopes that will change in 2022.
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