Rogue Retreat's Gateway Housing in Talent close to filling up for Almeda fire survivors

TALENT, Ore — Nearly two years since the devastating Almeda fire, many survivors continue to move into temporary housing led by Rogue Retreat.

Talent Gateway Transitional Housing Project, located on the 100 block of S. Pacific Highway, was created to house displaced victims of the Almeda fire in 2020. The homes can hold up to 53 families. As of Wednesday, February 9th, 38 households will have moved in on the site – leaving three more spaces left.

According to Rogue Retreat, phase one of the application process was for families affected by the fire in the Phoenix-Talent School District. The organization is currently moving into phase two which will be for all other Almeda fire survivors.

Matthew Vorderstrasse, development director with Rogue Retreat, told NBC5 that housing has slowly been filling up, but are making great progress. He says they are grateful for the various different organizations like ACCESS that have helped them get people back on their feet.

“It’s just been a blessing to the community,” Vorderstrasse said “One of the things that I am grateful for despite the disruption of the fire, is that the community has really found their way to rally together and come together to build resources.”

Vorderstrasse said partnerships have also been helpful in order to coordinate with the Latinx community. He expects all of Rogue Retreat’s transitional housing to be full by March.

“[Gateway] itself has been coming together, just to build trust within the community and let them know this resource is available to them,” Vorderstrasse said. “To help them ideally get a foundation under them, and into permanent housing.”

For more information, you can visit Rogue Retreat’s website here: Rogue Retreat