Housing Our Neighbors

What We Need: We must continue to build on the effective partnerships between the City and local organizations to develop a fully integrated program that helps our neighbors avoid falling into homelessness wherever possible and assists them when they do.

Homelessness is a complex issue that is proving a difficult one to solve in Ashland and in other communities across the country. At its base, however, this is an issue of housing availability. Our affordable housing crisis is driving our homeless crisis.

Part of this complexity comes from the fact that there are many different circumstances that all fall under the umbrella of homelessness, even though what is needed to address one circumstance is radically different than what is need to address another. A person with mental illness who has been chronically homeless for the past decade needs very different support than a young family that was recently evicted and is living in their car.

We see that diversity of circumstances right here in Ashland. We have chronically homeless people who camp up in the park, homeless teenagers who are couch-surfing, young travelers who hang out downtown with their backpacks and dogs, folks who are struggling with mental illness and/or addiction, and families living in RVs or teetering on the edge of homelessness.

We want to help our neighbors get on their feet not only because it’s how we express our humanity, but also because there are very real consequences of not handling our homeless situation - namely problems with aggressive panhandling, urination and trash in the downtown area, and the impact that chronic homelessness has on the development of children.

Our community is doing quite a lot of good work. Prior to the pandemic, the City of Ashland helped Options for Housing Resources and Assistance get the county permits necessary to open their winter shelter. Then, when COVID-19 arrived, The City stepped forward to provide additional assistance, such as food, hotel rooms, washing stations, and expanded car camping options for unhoused residents during the COVID-19 crisis. Using a State of Oregon COVID-19 grant, the City purchased 10 new pallet houses to add to its existing three pallet houses. With the help of Rogue Retreat, the City hosted an additional shelter for six months using those new pallet houses.

Representative Pam Marsh’s efforts to develop the Turnkey Program in Oregon led to the opportunity for OHRA to purchase the Super 8 motel and transform it into a permanent shelter. The City of Ashland contributed to the effort to remodel the motel using its Community Development Block Grant funding, as well as support from the Affordable Housing Fund.

Recent Progress

The City has:

• partnered with the State of Oregon to purchase the property at 2200 Ashland Street for homeless services, including a year round severe weather shelter to bring people in during times of extreme cold, heat, and wildfire smoke

• developed an ad hoc committee of neighbors and homeless services advocates to develop the long-term master plan for the 2200 Ashland Street site

• developed the “night lawn” at the Civic Center on E. Main Street to comply with state legislation and to provide a place for people to sleep that reduces the likelihood that they will camp in our watershed, which creates a fire risk and poses a safety risk to the unhoused campers