When Alex was 12, he made a mistake that would change his life forever. Convicted of a crime, he was sentenced to three years at a youth correctional facility hundreds of miles from his home where he felt lost, alone, and afraid. However, fate had a different plan in store for Alex.

“We understand that the most fragile in this community will be the ones who feel the most pain, and it is our hope that this action will lead to resolving the city’s concerns quickly. Our last day of operations, until further notice, will be January 5, 2024. We will close at 2:30 PM that day.” - St. Vincent de Paul Society on shuttering its ministry at 315 W. Third Street, The Dalles

A man arrested on suspicion of stealing a car at knifepoint on Jan. 24 at a restaurant in The Dalles had appeared in Wasco County Circuit Court earlier the same day requesting to enter into a mental health commitment.

In recent days Susan Gabay has made a $200,000 donation to an effort to put a mental health center at The Dalles High School. She wants there to be something that helps kids and families of kids with mental illness to have a safe place to go.

North Wasco County School District 21 is well on its way towards the long-term goal of a health center at The Dalles High School. With the help of grants, the ESD is working with school districts in Wasco and Hood River counties to figure out how to provide more school-based treatable mental health care.

The ability to monitor and house people with mental imbalances has been “ripped out of the communities at a local level by the state and never been restored.” As a result, people are breaking down on city streets. They’re breaking laws, impacting the economy, and have local leaders flummoxed as the State of Oregon has failed to fund their treatment.