The Bethlehem Inn will receive nearly $2.7 million from the Oregon Community Foundation to buy and convert a 37-room motel in Redmond into a homeless shelter.

The money is from a state program called Project Turnkey, which gives grant money to cities or nonprofits that wish to buy a motel and turn it into shelter beds. The city of Bend is also in the running for grant money from this program.

The property will at first provide 25 rooms for people experiencing homelessness, according to an announcement from Bethlehem Inn, a homeless shelter based in Bend. They will be the first full-time shelter beds in Redmond, according to Gwenn Wysling, executive director of Bethlehem Inn.

“The pandemic has further complicated and prolonged economic challenges in a region, where even people who have jobs often struggle to find and keep affordable housing. We are very grateful to the City of Redmond and the community for trusting Bethlehem Inn to serve this vulnerable population,”  Wysling said in a statement.

The shelter will eventually be able to accommodate 90 people and will provide meals, clothing and other essentials, according to the announcement.

The shelter will replace what is currently the Greenway Motel at 517 Birch Ave. Bethlehem Inn hopes to open the shelter by June 2021.

The first property to receive Project Turnkey money was in Ashland in February. In three months,10 grants have been given out, according to the foundation. Project Turnkey is on pace to complete up to 20 projects by June.