Medford warming shelter to close for the season

Medford, Ore. — The Kelly Warming Shelter at First United Methodist Church closes at the end of this month. That has a downtown business owner calling on the community to find new ways to help.

Ed Chun of Sunrise Cafe says there have been a lot of conversations about helping the homeless, but little action. He says if the homeless population’s basic needs aren’t met, that leads to issues for downtown business owners and residents.

“Any alley in downtown Medford usually Friday, Saturday nights and then by Monday morning it’s usually pretty stinky, especially in the summertime,” Chun says, “so I think we should start with basic needs maybe some watering stations and some temporary urinals, some porta-potties.”

Chun says public restrooms should be considered as an addition to downtown. And adds that additional patrols like what they had on Saint Patrick’s Day will help curb not only transient issues, but drunk and disorderly calls too.

The Kelly Warming Shelter closes for the season, March 31st.