Where do houseless go now in TD? St. Vincent to shutter 3rd Street site; Community Meals moves to fast food
Deanna Sue Henderson-Kincade stands out front of the St. Vincent de Paul ministry building where community meals, laundry and shower facilities are available at 315 W. Third St., The Dalles this morning, Jan. 3. The site is set to close on Friday, Jan. 5.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 3, 2023 - St. Vincent de Paul is set to lock the doors on its ministry at 315 W. Third Street on Friday, Jan. 5.
The majority of the building provides space for local food programs, laundry facilities, and showers for the houseless while also being a bridge for social agencies reaching out with mental health and addiction assistance.
Alicia’s Bakery, which leases the front portion of the building, will continue to operate without interruption.
The decision to close the ministry building comes after the City of The Dalles filed a lawsuit in October against St. Vincent for public nuisance violation alleging 34 counts of arrest and citations within 300 feet surrounding the building. No workable agreement between SVDP and the city on how the programs continue to proceed has been developed.
“With great sadness, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of The Dalles will temporarily close its ministry building at 315 West 3rd Street,” the release states. “Our decision to temporarily close was difficult but necessary for us to negotiate with the city of The Dalles and hopefully avoid a costly legal trial. 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.”
This morning, Jan. 3, Deanna Sue Henderson-Kincade stood under the shelter outside the ministry building, which houses programs including Bread and Blessings and Community Meals and serves some 25,000 meals a year, according to St. Vincent officials. She said she had walked down to the site to do her laundry and get something to eat. She lives in a garage in east The Dalles, and she relies on the site to make ends meet.
“It’s hard to get down here,” the 63-year-old said, noting walking is her main mode of transportation and laundry is heavy.
“In light of that voluntary closure, the City intends to pause its public nuisance litigation against SVdP as the parties work together to find a solution that best serves the community’s interests,” the statement reads. “The growing problems associated with nuisance offenses and crimes in The Dalles have caused increasing public health and safety concerns for the community, including SVdP’s Pentland Street neighbors.”
“…The City filed a public nuisance action under Oregon law and City code after years of formal and informal discussions and communications with SVdP on improving the manner in which they provide their charitable services,” the statement reads.
“The City hopes this voluntary closure will allow SVdP to focus on strengthening its collaborative relationships, and—through engagement with community stakeholders and SVdP’s Pentland Street neighbors—that the parties will quickly be able to find an effective path to provide healthy and safe services for all who need it,” it says.
In the meantime, people needing basic human services will have to go elsewhere.
A point not lost on operators of Community Meals, who refuse to let the legal wrangling impede their service to the poor. Read their press release below:
As a volunteer serving meals over the years, I feel compelled to straighten out any misperceptions about the role of Community Meals during the current closure of St Vincent de Paul Service Center on W 3rd St. (This is not St Vinnie’s which is the thrift store on W 9th St.)
Community Meals, Inc is a guest (as is Bread and Blessings which is a breakfast program) using the St. Vincent de Paul meal site to cook and serve meals every Friday-Sunday.
While The Dalles City officials and the SVDP Board negotiate the issues at hand, Community Meals Inc. has committed to NOT let another challenge interrupt our unbroken record of ever missing the serving of a meal every weekend, for over 40 years.
During an emergency session this week, an anonymous donor provided the funds needed to quickly purchase $10 meal cards at local fast food establishments for our meal guests. We will continue with this plan, handing out the cards at the meal site on Thursday later at the Lewis and Clark Festival Park, each weekend.
This unexpected closure and change of venue will leave the vulnerable population we serve, even more at risk for increased suffering. It is a well-known fact that limited food sources and hunger can trigger already-unstable mental illness.
If you are so moved to help us to keep providing this basic human need of food, please send your donations to Meadow Outdoor Advertising PO Box 331 The Dalles OR 97058. We feed all, without judgment, who come to us hungry. We serve with smiles and warm hearts.
For more information, please contact Chris Zukin at czukin@meadowoutdoor.com or zukin@charter.net or 541-993-1792
Sincerely,
Colleen Ballinger, Volunteer for Community Meals
Read more on the houseless issue from CCCNews here:
City of The Dalles Sues Local Soup Kitchen
City Council charges Community Meals with Public Nuisance; Case could end up in court
Confronting the Housing, Food Access, and Mental Health Crisis in The Dalles
Question of the week: locals respond to St. Vincent de Paul public nuisance notice
45-year-old Woman's death in the outdoors in TD shakes up houseless situation
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