The new roughly $4.5 million building is located on Market Street off Biddle.
Rogue Retreat plans to have the facility fully operational by mid-July.
Rogue Retreat’s Development Director Matt Vorderstrasse said, “we are very grateful for the City of Medford’s continued partnership with us and we’re looking forward to making this transition over to the new site and really showing the community what a Navigation Center can do with working with our community partners.”
He said it plans on moving the almost 60-people staying at the Kelly Shelter downtown to this new property.
Once the residents from the shelter are moved over, the Navigation Center will incrementally increase its’ capacity up to 100 people.
Once that happens, Rogue Retreat will decide whether it needs to hire extra staff for the larger facility.
Vorderstrasse said the Kelly Shelter will become a severe event weather shelter once Rogue Retreat’s lease ends.
That will be operated by the City of Medford and ACCESS.
City Council also voted unanimously last night to approve $1 million toward the purchase of land for a new permanent urban campground site.
The four-acre lot will cost around $1.5 million.
It’s from 842 to 860 West McAndrews Road.
The city already had $1 million in local and state ARPA funds for the project, the extra half million will go towards making improvements to the property.
It’s early in the process the city tells us it’s still working on the timeline for the site.
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