News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
As the November 30 deadline approaches for residents to leave The Pines, a few of the area's 24 families are still looking for affordable housing.
"There's still like six families out here that have nowhere," said Kim Simmons, a mother of three.
(Another source said there were five families still
looking).
Others have found places to rent - or to buy, said Eldon Howard, owner of The Pines.
"Sixty percent of the people have already made arrangements," Howard said. "Five have bought homes. One has bought (a business) in
Blue River."
Howard plans to develop The Pines as a manufactured home park (see story, page 1).
The remaining families are having a hard time finding a place in the Sisters area.
Simmons is still trying to find a spot in the Sisters School District so her children can stay in school here. So far, she hasn't had much luck.
Simmons said her family has located a place in Crooked River Ranch and one in Sunriver that are big enough for her, her husband and three boys and are in their price range of $600 per month or less.
Simmons said she found one place in Sisters, but it was too cramped for the family. Other than that, Simmons said, there's not a lot available in the Sisters area and rents and deposits are out of her reach.
"You're looking at $1,500 to $2,000 to get into a place," she said.
Simmons said she knows of at least one family that has moved out of the area, to Prineville.
Members of Sisters area churches and members of Sisters Habitat for Humanity have stepped in to assist families who still need help.
Steve Mickel, pastor of Three Sisters Fellowship, noted that monetary donations are important, but other kinds of help are needed.
"It would be easy to throw money at this problem," Mickel said. "There are always additional expenses that come with moving, such as phone hook-up or firewood, but the time it takes for things like tracking down second job opportunities, or government assistance is just as valuable."
The Habitat volunteers are forming teams that will work one-on-one with the remaining families in identifying possible solutions.
"We are very concerned about the lack of affordable housing within the Sisters area, and feel Habitat is a logical agency to lend a hand," said Sharlene Weed, Executive Director of Habitat. "We are looking for short-term volunteers to help locate housing, research existing programs, and offer help that may expand families' options."
Sharlene said she knows of one family that must stay within walking distance of Sisters because of a car problem. Another lacks transportation to go to the welfare office.
"These are solvable problems with only small barriers to providing more choices for these families," she said.
Project volunteers note need to help will not go away on November 30.
"Some of these families are using their very last resources for this move," a volunteer said. "We can expect a greater need for food and help with utility services in the next few months."
Evelyn Dolan, who works in Sisters and lives with a roommate in The Pines, has found that coming up with a deposit on top of the rent makes it tough to get into a place.
"I do have a trailer lined up here in Sisters that I think I can afford," she said. "But I have to come up with $1,000 to move in."
Dolan looked at a less expensive apartment in
Redmond, she said,but she did not want to commute to her job in Sisters.
Barbara Nason and her husband both work in Sisters. They, too, are trying to avoid a commute.
"If we wanted to move to Bend or Redmond, we could find a place, Nason said.
She has poor night vision and can't drive at night, she said.
"We're going to move into (a) trailer, a 24-footer," she said. "That's our only option right now."
Crews from Barclay Contractors, which Howard owns, will remove the existing buildings and prepare the site for development over the winter.
"It's going to give us the opportunity to keep six people who would ordinarily be laid off in the winter working all winter taking those units down," Howard said.
Howard acknowledged that there may not be any ideal time to hunt for housing in a tight Sisters market, but he stands by his decision to evict The Pines' tenants in the fall, instead of closer to the tourist season when there is even more demand for affordable housing for seasonal employees.
"I still believe it's the best time for them to find a place to live," he said.
Donations of money to help families from The Pines can be made to Three Sisters Fellowship at 208 S Cedar, Suite B or at PO Box 1045. According to volunteers, other needs include financial counseling, researching existing second job possibilities in the Sisters area, transporting abandoned pets to animal shelters, car repair, firewood and help negotiating the welfare system.
For more information call 549-4184.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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