Community meeting focuses on shelter

In response to concerns voiced by neighbors regarding the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) and an incident in January involving a shelter guest, the SCWS steering committee hosted a public meeting on Monday, February 4.

There were close to 100 attendees at the meeting who were asked to fill out comment cards if they wished to speak or to have their comments read by the facilitator. All comments, written and oral, were tracked by two recorders and will be utilized by the shelter steering committee as they address concerns and questions raised.

Gary Eidsmoe, co-chair of the SCWS steering committee, said the turnout was much more than he had anticipated.

The other co-chair, Betty Shuler, said, "I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who made the time to come to the community meeting... The SCWS steering committee wants very much for the shelter to be a good neighbor to all of our beautiful community. With some of our neighbors who live close to the shelter locations expressing concern about their safety, we needed to hear their specific concerns and their ideas for ways that we can help increase their confidence that they and their families will be safe."

The shelter is a "low-barrier" shelter, which means access to what it offers is available to those who come. One neighbor is concerned about what kind of background checks or drug tests are done on guests "to assure safety in the neighborhood." Another questioned what the shelter is doing to address the causes of the guests' homelessness and helping them get into a better situation.

The mission of the SCWS is to provide emergency shelter during the coldest months of the year. There is a homeless networking group that has been meeting monthly since last spring to address some of the larger issues and look for more permanent long-term solutions and support.

Lois Kaping, who served as the steering committee co-chair for the first two years and is now the Westside Church liaison to the shelter, provided statistics for the three years the shelter has been in operation.

The shelter doors opened in January 2017, the winter of extreme cold and heavy snowfall. Unfortunately, just two weeks before the shelter opened, a Sisters man who was living in his car died either from exposure or carbon monoxide poisoning.

During the first three months of 2017, the shelter provided 860 bed nights for 44 different people and served 1,900 meals. In the winter of 2017-18, with the shelter open for four months, the shelter provided 870 bed nights for 52 different people, and provided 2,000 meals. So far in 2018-19, in three months, 43 different people have used 653 bed nights, and enjoyed 1,400 meals.

The shelter is expected to be open this year through the end of March, if a facility can be located for the last month.

Currently, three local churches open their doors for the shelter: Westside Church, Sisters Community Church, and the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. At SCC, the shelter is housed in The Hangar, which is located off of McKinney Butte Road near Sisters Christian Academy and the Sisters Middle School.

Therein lies the crux of the neighbors' concerns: the proximity of the three churches providing shelter space to surrounding neighborhoods and schools. The churches were all located in a core area around Trinity Way a number of years ago when that was the outskirts of Sisters. In the ensuing years, neighborhoods have grown up around the churches.

The shelter operates with a specific code of conduct that all guests must agree to, including arrival and departure times. There are always two monitors onsite to meet the needs of the guests and ensure everyone's comfort and safety. To be a volunteer monitor, one must attend a required training session and submit to a background check. The overnight monitors who come on at 10:30 p.m. and stay until 7 a.m., are paid trained employees.

Special training in mental health "first aid" is offered to the volunteers but, at this time, is not required. Questions were raised at the meeting about such training as well as the availability of crisis intervention specialists.

A representative of Deschutes County Behavioral Health said there is a mobile crisis team available to respond to mental health emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to assess a client and advocate for available resources. The mental health concerns are something the steering committee will be discussing.

There was a great deal of support for the shelter evident at the meeting, with people saying they are glad to know there's a place for the homeless to go, that volunteering is a great joy to serve, and that the time spent at the shelter with the guests is a positive experience. Pastor Jerry Kaping of Westside said that in three years time they have not had one negative experience involving the shelter. The community has been supportive with monetary support, volunteer hours, meal preparation, and donations of needed supplies for the shelter and its guests.

There were questions regarding crime statistics as related to the homeless and Sisters in general. Lt. Ty Rupert, watch commander for the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, reported that in all of 2018 in Sisters, there were five crimes committed by homeless or transient people. Officers had a total of seven contacts, including traffic stops, four of which were passing through Sisters.

Each month, the DCSO provides to the City Council the Vicinity Case Report for the previous month. The average number of cases reported each month is around 30, some months more, some months fewer. Cases include things like nuisance dogs, assault, driving while suspended, burglary, possession of a controlled substance, theft, DUII, robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and neighbor disputes. Reports of major crimes like murder, rape, and arson are almost non-existent.

Thirty cases a month amounts to well over 300 a year. That makes the seven cases involving a transient or homeless person less than one percent of all cases reported. Sharlene Weed, executive director of Sisters Habitat for Humanity, asked, "Please can the sheriff distinguish between transients and homeless? Some homeless live here permanently. Transients are passing through. Correct?"

An employee from the Shepherd's House shelter in Redmond spoke about their experience operating their shelter. He said that when shelter guests are able to make connections with the monitors and trust is built, they come to see the shelter as a safe place with positive people.

"The more contact there is, the safer it is for everyone," he told the audience.

The church is safer because the guests view it as a place of comfort and to be respected, he indicated. The guests are safer because they are off the streets and out of freezing temperatures. The community is safer because guests are not out on the street doing drugs, hurting themselves, or committing criminal activities like breaking in somewhere to find shelter from the cold or shoplifting food.

The point was made that sometimes when a person is suffering, the only way to get help is to harm himself, like the man in January. Self-harm is often a cry for help.

Chairman of the group, George Myers of Sisters, offered, "Those who have ideas and want to see something happen would be welcome." Myers can be contacted at [email protected]

There was an inquiry regarding what the City Council could do to support a shelter, possibly helping find alternate locations. Other concerns raised were about more garbage in the neighborhood, guests lingering in the church parking lots after leaving the shelter in the morning, and are the guests being enabled to remain homeless by providing them shelter.

"Beginning at our next steering committee meeting, we are definitely going to prioritize the neighbors' concerns as to what we can immediately take care of, what can be done later, and items beyond our jurisdiction and mission," co-chair Eidsmoe said.

Co-chair Shuler added, "At this point, information about operations and decisions will be posted on our Facebook page and sent out via email to our mailing list. We will also consider placing information on the Sisters Community Watch Facebook page if folks desire. We will certainly provide updates to The Nugget and ask that information be shared with the community. The steering committee is open to any other means of communication that the community would like. Anyone who provided us with contact information will be added to our mailing list and if contact was requested, one of us will be in touch with them."

The shelter guests have been impacted by the neighbors' concerns, comments, and generalizations following the January incident.

"In communicating with some of our shelter guests, they were concerned with the negativity from that one incident. They understood some of that negativity, but mainly worried that they would be more disliked and more apt to not be welcome in some businesses." Eidsmoe reported.

Shuler indicated she had only spoken with a few guests. "They expressed sadness, concerns for their safety, and concerns about their acceptance as part of the community. They go to work, church, local events, and patronize local businesses and they are worried they will be viewed or judged negatively or unfairly."