A dorm area in the new low-barrier homeless shelter being run by Shepherd’s House Ministries in Redmond is still under construction. The shelter is expected to open in the fall.

REDMOND — Fresh coats of calming blue paint covered the walls of Redmond’s first low-barrier homeless shelter, which is still a work in progress, with makeshift lighting rigged to ceiling beams.

But local officials and homeless service providers were abuzz with conversation Wednesday at the first glimpse into the space.

“There’s a new attitude towards this issue at the city,” Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch said Wednesday. “We don’t look at it as a problem that is not a city issue.”

The new shelter off U.S. Highway 97 is expected to open this fall. It will be run by Shepherd’s House Ministries, a Bend-based nonprofit that started off by helping recovering addicts. The nonprofit has operated a temporary winter warming center in Redmond for the past nine years, but a growing homeless population in the city prompted it to expand its services.

The idea is to provide a place where people who are homeless can access services they need to find pathways out of homelessness, said Andrew Hoeksema, the Redmond city director for Shepherd’s House.

“We’re very aware that simply providing shelter is a life-saving service and it’s absolutely important. We’ve been doing it for nine winters,” said Hoeksema. “But, really, the purpose of this building is to be a spot for people to find access to healing in their own lives.”

Shepherd’s House operates a low-barrier shelter in Bend, which isn’t even a year old, and roughly 5-10% of people visiting the Bend shelter move on to permanent housing, Hoeksema said.

The site of the new Redmond shelter had been sitting empty for years before it fell into Shepherd’s House’s hands.

Prior to that, it was a restaurant and then a church.

“We’re trying to build a very durable but also homey feeling facility for the people who will be staying with us,” Hoeksema said.

Wednesday marked the start of the nonprofit’s final fundraising efforts. Thus far, it’s earned more than $2 million in public and private funds, but it still needs roughly $400,000 more to cover construction and operating costs.

The shelter is a needed service in Redmond, said Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair. The county contributed $300,000 to the shelter, and the city of Redmond contributed $450,000.

“I can’t wait for it to be open because we need it in our community. We’re really trying to get people off the dirt and to more help,” Adair said Wednesday.

Addressing homelessness has become a priority in Redmond, which has a newly elected City Council and two homeless camp sweeps looming over the community.

In addition, Redmond saw a 40% increase between 2022 and 2023 in people experiencing homelessness on a given night, according to the most recent Point in Time Count.

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Making a difference

This winter, the nonprofit served 60% of Redmond’s estimated homeless population, or 209 unique individuals, according to Hoeksema.

Around one-quarter to one-third of people the nonprofit interacts with have jobs, Hoeksema said, so the shelter will be within walking distance for people needing to get to and from work. It’s also near medical services, a bus stop and it’s also within walking distance for those still camping outside of the city.

“Shepherd’s House knows the population experiencing homelessness well in Redmond because of the nine years of the winter shelter,” Hoeksema said.

The shelter will have dedicated space for women and families with children, as well as general shelter space for men, equaling 44 total beds with room for overflow during severe weather. During the daytime, the shelter will offer a variety of services, which will include meals, showers, case management services and classes like creative arts, employment support and addiction recovery.

“As I like to say, if there’s 40 people staying with us here, that’s 40 reasons people entered homelessness, and that’s 40 separate pathways out of homelessness,” Hoeksema said.

The nonprofit will also house up to eight interns, who are people who have previously experienced homelessness and want to give back to their peers and receive professional training.

While following rules is a vital piece of staying at the shelter — rules like not using substances on the property and recognizing the consequences of one’s actions — it’s not the whole picture.

“When you come here, it’s not just an institution with rules,” said John Lodise, the director of emergency services for Shepherd’s House. “We want people to feel like this is the home. At the same time, it’s a low-barrier shelter.”

There is no limit on the length of stay at the shelter. The nonprofit wants people to feel safe and among people who care for them, but it’s not forever, Lodise said.

“The goal is to encourage people to make changes in their life so they’re not homeless, not living in a shelter,” he said. “We want to wish for them what we wish for ourselves, including having a home, having a family and all those points of connection people have.”