Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is pleased to announce the grand opening of The Gloria Center, a one-stop multi-agency supportive services center located in The Dalles The formal grand opening event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 31st at 2505 W. 7th St. in The Dalles. 

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) has wrapped up construction of the Gloria Center, a multi-agency service and resource center. The construction project first broke ground last March.

In this episode of the CCCNews Podcast we interview Kenny LaPoint, the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council Executive Director leading a local and regional effort to end homelessness. In this episode, we talk about MCCAC's collaborative approach to addressing homelessness, the complexities surrounding service-resistant populations, and how MCCAC is working to build a culture of hope in the face of hardship.

Cookies, Cocoa and Photos with Santa organizers presented Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) with a check for $2,700 on Monday, Dec. 11. 

With severe weather hitting the region, the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council and its partners are ensuring our most vulnerable community members can access shelters, emergency lodging, and street outreach resources.

The festive spirit of giving is returning to Hood River with the third annual "Cookies, Cocoa, and Photos with Santa" event, organized by Jennifer Josephson of Windermere Real Estate and Cara McNulty of Kiddie City Child Care Facility. This festive community event hopes to bring holiday cheer to the community while raising money to help those experiencing homelessness this holiday season.

In this interview, Joe Davies, an employed Air Force veteran and former software engineer from Montana opens up about his experience with Mid-Columbia Community Action Council and how his move from the pallet shelters on Bargeway Road into The Annex has impacted him for the better.

The results from the January 2023 Point in Time (PIT) count in the Mid-Columbia region have been collected. While the numbers have not yet been confirmed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), preliminary data shows an overall 5% increase in people experiencing houselessness throughout Wasco, Hood River, and Sherman counties as compared to data collected in 2022, with an 18% decrease in people experiencing homelessness throughout Wasco County and 56% increase in Hood River County.

Mid Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) held a Contractor and Volunteer appreciation lunch at The Annex in The Dalles today, to thank all the folks, including 21 local contractors that have done work on The Annex over the last six months. 

As summer temperatures begin to rise, Community Action Agencies in the Gorge are preparing to assist people in need of combating life-threatening weather conditions with individual Cooling Kits delivered by Houseless Outreach Coordinators.

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is making significant progress on $1.6 million in grant and weatherization funded renovations to The Oregon Motor Motel thanks to the hard work of staff, volunteers, and local contractors. All of whom are rallied around completing the renovation of the 54-room motel which is expected to provide at least 50 transitional housing and shelter units with coordinated supportive services integrated on site in collaboration with community partners.

Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is pleased to announce that it will be breaking ground on its Navigation Center on March 24th, 2023. The formal groundbreaking event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 24th on the Navigation Center site located at 2505 West 7th Street in The Dalles.

Oregon Senator Daniel Bonham will host a listening session at the Last Stop Saloon in The Dalles, OR on Friday, March 3rd at 5:30 p.m. 

Two members of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative (MCHC) have been awarded nearly $2 million in support of the effort to address houselessness. Over the next three years, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) will receive $969,600, and Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) will receive $809,603.

The Wasco County Commissioners have declared a state of emergency to address the growing issue of homelessness in the region. The decision was made during a meeting on February 15th, 2023, after the presentation of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative's five-year strategic plan to address houselessness in the area. The declaration has been sent to The Office of Emergency Management for further processing.

The Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) has acquired the Oregon Motor Motel, located on the edge of downtown The Dalles, Oregon, with the aim of converting it into transitional housing and shelter. The $3.25 million acquisition was made possible through a $4.27 million grant from the Project Turnkey 2.0 program, which MCCAC applied for at the end of the summer of 2022.

Members of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative are preparing for the 2023 Point in Time (PIT) Count, which will take place in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat, and Skamania Counties between Monday, January 23rd—Friday, January 27th. 

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley held an in-person town hall at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles, OR on Friday, January 13th, from 1-2 p.m. Many community members were in attendance and asked questions on a number of topics including housing, healthcare, minimum wage, the disappearance of town halls across the nation, the January 6th insurrection and more.

With freezing rain, snow, and wind chill temperatures projected to be as low as -15 to -25 degrees in the coming days, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council is opening a temporary warming center using St. Vincent de Paul’s building at 315 W. 3rd St. in The Dalles beginning 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 21st, 2022.