TD Council triples the number of houseless shelters in split decision
In this file photo from Nov. 5, The Dalles City Councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss was on site as a new houseless shelter village being erected on Bargeway Road. On Monday night, Dec. 14, a majority of City Councilors agreed to triple the number of shelters, allowing for a total of 18, with a maximum of 36 residents. The village is at the end of Terminal Way in a gravel lot between Northwest Natural and Oregon Cherry Growers.
By Tom Peterson
Twelve more shelters will be added to the current village for the houseless at the end of Bargeway Road in The Dalles.
On Monday night, The Dalles City Council, in a split consensus, agreed to purchase six more of the units. In addition, The Mid-Columbia Community Action Council and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church are also adding six more shelters.
Once the units are delivered and erected in weeks to come, the shelter village will have grown from 6 units to 18, with the ability to house, at maximum, 36 houseless people from The Dalles.
The Decision came while Councilors discussed the use of $442,900 of federal funds earmarked for COVID-19 relief.
The houseless, which in the past have been put together in warming shelters in winter months, are at high risk for catching the coronavirus in that housing situation and then further spreading it in the community. Shelters, holding a maximum of two people, have been used to provide better social distancing.
Councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss, who has spearheaded the project, asked the Council for $50,000 to pay for six shelters and an upgrade for the electric panel required for the extra load.
Three in Favor, Two Against
Councilors Tim McGlothlin and Linda Miller were not in favor of adding additional shelters to the village. Miller said she had heard a complaint and later noted that a houseless person had used the bathroom at a nearby restaurant.
Pallet Shelters employees put together the temporary housing this morning. Brandon Nordmeyer at left runs a bolt in while AJ Rogers comes around the corner to check out the work. Pallet Shelters in Everett, Wash., utilizes employees that have been houseless themselves.
Long-Curtiss had a hard time believing it was a resident of the village. She said it was four-tenths of a mile to walk there from the village.
“Why would they walk that far when the toilet is just a few steps away (in the village),” she questioned. She then suggested that it could be that the person using the bathroom was like others in our community, houseless, but not a resident of the village. She said additional shelters might help remedy that situation.
Councilor Rod Runyon agreed to increase the number of shelters and then stated that the property was now maxed out and he would not agree to anymore.
Councilor Scott Randall agreed with that comment as well.
“I have no interest in going any further with this,” Runyon said, adding that he feared more and more people would desire sheltering services and come to The Dalles to get them.
Long-Curtiss said she and police had been vetting the residents of the village and said that all of them are residents of The Dalles.
“Our homeless has expanded,” Long-Curtiss said. “There were a lot of faces I did not know as well. But these people are long-term residents who have lost their jobs. We are not accepting people who are from out of town.”
Councilor McGlothlin had concerns about health safety as the village would grow from 12 residents to 36 people in18 shelters.
“Six (shelters) is ok… but 18 is a threshold that I am not comfortable with,” he said, noting the City was responsible for making a safe environment.
Long-Curtiss pointed out that epidemiologists had found much larger concentrations of such shelters safe throughout the state.
She said the shelters were six feet apart and hand sanitizer and masks were available.
“The primary concern is two people to a shelter,” she said. “People are sleeping head to foot.”
Long-Curtiss asked McGlothlin if surveillance cameras at the village had shown any bad behavior or problems.
McGlothlin said he had seen vehicles showing up after curfew but that there were “no overt issues. And he agreed that the village had not received any police calls.
What Happens Next?
City Manager Julie Krueger will amend the houseless village site plan and submit it to city planning. Once the plan is approved, electrical upgrades will be completed and the shelters will then be ordered for delivery. The process will take several weeks.
Management of Shelters
Darcy Long Curtiss said the Young Women’s Christian Association is working in concert with MCCAC is to hire two managers for the shelter site. Long-Curtiss and volunteers are continuing to provide oversight of the village. In addition, all of the shelters will be given to MCCAC and they will use them as needed after the shelter is taken down at the end of March.
What about the rest of the money?
City Council has already spent $166,000 including grants to Salvation Army and Windy River Gleaners, totaling $20,000
Point Man Ministries and St. Vincent DePaul get $15k
On Monday, City Councilors agreed to give Point Man Ministries $5,000 and St. Vincent dePaul $10,000 for food relief and hotel room programs for the houseless. The Cash again comes from the COVID-19 federal relief fund dollars.
Police, Firemen to be paid for with relief funds
The remainder of the federal dollars - about $200,000 will be used to pay police and firemen salaries. City Manager Julie Krueger said that use was allowed as first-responders were included in the legislation governing the cash.
