Cuddled up near a warm fireplace on cold winter nights sounds idyllic, but for hundreds of homeless in the Redmond area, freezing temperatures spell misery, and in some cases, danger.

Fueled by compassion and sustained by the support of the Redmond community, staff with Shepherd’s House Ministries continues to partner with Redmond churches to open overnight shelters to the homeless during the winter.

When temperatures dip to 32 and below, staff will post a recorded message on its hotline, informing people if the shelter is open and where it is located. Shepherd’s House staff will drive a van to pickup points around town to transport anyone who needs a ride.

Before unloading at the host church for the night, guests are offered a hot meal at Jericho Table.

The cold weather shelter will be hosted by Highland Baptist Church during November, then Mountain View Fellowship through December and January, followed by Redmond Christian Church in February and City Center Church in March.

“We budget for about 100 nights a year,” said John Lodise, community support for Shepherd’s House in Bend and the Redmond shelter coordinator.

Shepherd’s House provides two to three paid staff to stay in the shelter overnight, and additional volunteers are always needed. Volunteers can choose to cook meals, monitor through the night during four-hour shifts, or just come by in the evening to play a card game with the guests and offer a warm smile.

“It’s really about making those connections,” said Lodise’s wife, Dart, who volunteers alongside her husband at the shelter.

“So many of these people have lost connections with families, friends, and everything they were familiar with,”she said.

Typically, the Redmond shelters average 10 guests a night, said Lodise, but can accommodate up to 25. During the “snowpocalypse” winter of 2017, Redmond shelters averaged between 15 and 20 people every night for 50 nights in a row, demonstrating the importance of providing a warm and safe place for the homeless to stay.

“The need is so apparent,” said Barry Campbell, lead pastor for Highland Baptist Church. “In our congregation, we have working homeless. They work full time but can’t raise the cash for big deposits,” he said.

In 2010, Highland Baptist began hosting the shelter on its own for a few years and eventually partnered with Shepherd’s House and other Redmond churches.

“Today it’s not just an HBC thing, it’s a Redmond thing,” said Campbell.

There have been discussions about opening a permanent shelter in Redmond, said Lodise.

“We want to create a permanent shelter that will be welcomed by the overall Redmond community and that will give people the hope that someone will always be there for them, not just on the coldest nights,” he said.

Whether or not a permanent shelter becomes a reality, the people who are dedicated to helping others have no intention of stopping.

“It really is a community-wide effort and one of the purest ways to follow the instruction of Jesus. He told us to care for the poor and the cold,” said Pastor Campbell.

For information on how to help, contact Shepherd’s House at 541-388-2096.