Struggling to stay in Sisters

Sisters is a picturesque community, nestled in the mountains and surrounded by natural beauty. The community is supportive, helpful, and rural - the picture of small-town America. It's not hard to understand why people want to live here. We boast about our strong schools, music festivals, arts programming, endless outdoor opportunities and more.

Some move here to find they can't afford to be here - but they have fallen in love and they will do anything to stay.

One family of four moved to Sisters from Florida last April. They wanted to live in Oregon. When they got to Bend they spent all of their savings buying a car and then decided to camp. They had been camping until last week when NeighborImpact helped them find a rental.

"My husband lost his job in Florida and we had no reason to stay," said the mother of two who wishes to remain anonymous. "We sold our RV, put everything we owned into a rental truck and drove across the country."

This family, made up of a mother and father; two small children, ages 5 and 7; and their dog had been living on the Deschutes National Forest for the last several months.

"We started out in Bend," the woman said. "But there were so many people - it felt like where we just left. Someone told us about Sisters and we fell in love."

Mom recently got a job at one of the local hotels as a housekeeper. Dad is currently looking for work. He has done construction, auto mechanics, tiling and gardening; but his real passion is growing cannabis.

Both parents were glad to make the move to Oregon in the spring because it gives them both safe access to their medicine. Mom suffers from seizures and Dad PTSD. Dad is a second-generation grower and they both had been working with a group in the state of Florida to try to legalize marijuana.

The family is trying to make it. Dad is looking for work and up until last week they were looking for a warm place to stay through the winter. For months, they shared a four-person tent on Deschutes National Forest. They made sure to follow the rules put out by the National Forest and didn't stay in one location longer than 14 days and stayed at least 4-5 miles from town every time they set up camp.

"The cold mornings were tough," said Mom. "We would get bundled up in as many clothes as possible and then pile into the car and turn up the heat."

Both kids had been homeschooled in the past but wanted to attend school this year. The youngest is in preschool and the 6-year-old is in first grade at Sisters Elementary School.

"The oldest really likes to read and do anything artsy," said Mom. "The younger one just loves to be outside, to play with cars - he's the happiest kid you'll ever meet."

The kids had been OK living in a tent, according to Mom - "Now they're just over it."

The family had been working with NeighborImpact to try to find housing and with the local Family Access Network (FAN) for the last several months. Last week everything came together and they were able to move into a rental. Community members came together to ensure they had dishes, towels, a dining-room table and more to make their new house a home.

NeighborImpact uses a federal mandated matrix to identify those most at risk to assist in finding a place to live. Typically families are placed at the top of the list.

This family's story is not unique.

"We currently have 21 children aged preschool to grade 12 that are in substandard housing in the Sisters School District," said Dawn Cooper, the McKinney Vento homeless liaison and local FAN (Family Access Network) advocate.

Substandard housing is considered camping, doubled up with two or more families in one home, living in a hotel or motel, or couch surfing.

The homeless liaison connects students to things like transportation to and from school, access to free or reduced meals while in school, and more. The families are then referred to FAN for more in-depth services like food, school supplies, clothing and utility support. FAN's mission is to make sure children ages 0 to 18 have access to basic-needs services. Advocates often work with families to help connect them with opportunities for employment or making connections to other non-profits who will help support with other services.

There are still Sisters residents with children living in the woods, staying in motels and moving from couch to couch to stay out of the elements.

The community can support the Family Access Network and the families they serve by calling 541-549-0155 or visiting their website at www.familyaccessnetwork.org.