New Playground at The Annex Brings Safety and Joy to Family Shelter

Jul 22

Written By Columbia Community Connection

From Mid-Columbia Community Action Council:

By Leslie Naramore

The Dalles, Ore., July 22, 2026 — Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is celebrating a joyful addition to The Annex: a brand-new playground on the facility's family side, made possible through generous donations from Google, Granite Construction, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

Designed with both safety and fun in mind, the playground gives children staying at The Annex a place to simply be kids, even while their families navigate one of the most difficult chapters of their lives.

The new expanded play area features a variety of age-appropriate equipment, a separate dog relief area, and secure fencing, all selected to meet safety standards without sacrificing an ounce of fun. For families at The Annex, the playground offers a small, stable piece of childhood, something that can be hard to come by during a housing crisis.

The project was made possible by Google in The Dalles, Granite Construction, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, whose site preparation and construction assistance helped move the playground from blueprint to reality. MCCAC is deeply grateful to these project partners for supporting MCCAC’s goal of making The Annex a space for children and families to thrive.

“Even during challenging times, every child and family deserves a place to play, connect, and feel part of a community,” said Katy Bowman, Community and Workforce Development Manager for Google in The Dalles. “We’re glad to support MCCAC’s vision for a space where children at The Annex can have fun and feel supported.”

The donation arrives at a moment of significant need. The Annex's family units have remained consistently full since the facility opened in August 2023 — a reflection of the steady, urgent demand for safe shelter among families with children across Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties. Since The Annex opened in 2023, 85 children under the age of 18 have lived at The Annex, and 41 children have transitioned from The Annex into long-term housing placements.

In alignment with direction from the State of Oregon, MCCAC now refers to The Annex as a housing-focused shelter, a model that pairs shelter with active, hands-on case management focused on moving each family into permanent housing as quickly as possible, reflecting a statewide shift toward shelter models in which housing stability is the explicit and ongoing goal.

While 21 units on the individual side of The Annex are transitioning into permanent supportive housing apartments, the 12 units on the family side will remain housing-focused shelter units.

“Every family that comes through our doors is carrying so much weight,” said Leslie Naramore, MCCAC Executive Director. “This playground doesn’t solve a housing crisis, but it gives kids a place to laugh and play safely while their parents focus on the hard work of rebuilding. We’re enormously thankful to Google, Granite Construction, and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for investing in our kiddos.”

Annex guests, staff, community partners, and the project partners celebrated the completion of the playground project during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thurs, July 16.

MCCAC encourages community members and partners interested in supporting The Annex and its residents to learn more by visiting www.mccac.com or following MCCAC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mccactd.

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MCCAC is the Community Action Agency serving Hood River, Wasco and Sherman Counties. MCCAC’s mission is to build a better future for our community through partnership and equity-centered programs that prevent and eliminate poverty and houselessness.