February 2020 Newsletter

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Roseburg Has Reduced Homelessness

The west coast’s homeless population is growing rapidly. Roseburg is doing what the larger cities should be doing to reduce this social condition. We do not need to look to them as models. If they were to follow our lead, then they too could experience our success. Roseburg’s city leaders are to be commended for not following “national best practice” and addressing our local homeless problem with a plan that is working. Our community’s success is a direct result of cracking down on illegal camping. Many left here to become a part of the camping problem in larger cities that are not addressing the issue as a counterculture movement. Beginning in June of 2019, there was a direct correlation between the City’s new, more resolute plan of citing people for illegal camping and the reduction of men’s beds used and meals served at the Mission. If this problem solving measure had been introduced at the first of the year, the bed usage chart above would have shown a greater reduction. In 2018, we averaged 102 men per night from June to December; in 2019, the average was 83 for the same seven month period. Considering that approximately half of our men’s clients have historically been in our New Life Program and Transitional Housing Program, the decrease in our transient men’s population has been significant. It has not been this low since 2006. From June to December our transient men’s count was down more than 30% compared to the same time period last year. This has caused a considerable reduction in manpower. We are adapting with literally a dozen changes to facility and policy. Adjustments include remodeling an area, hiring additional staff, and requiring men to be on our New Life Program for a time as a condition of joining our Transitional Housing Program. So, our expenses have increased as a result. Still, we are in favor of making the distinction between the counterculture movement and actual homelessness. We are here to help people that are genuinely homeless, not to enable a growing counterculture population.

One of the biggest hurdles that we as a society have to overcome is just accepting the fact that some people do not want a home. There is no material enticement that we have to offer them that will change their camping lifestyle. When they had to leave campsites in Roseburg, they did not enter the Mission to get help in getting a home. They left to find a more camping friendly city. Roseburg Rescue Mission averaged 37 empty men’s beds and 41 empty women and children’s beds per night last year, because counterculture people do not want shelter. Confusing the two groups enables them both. Opening some new, government approved campsite would legitimize and support the counterculture population and do nothing for the truly homeless.

Last year, our Samaritan Inn remained at an historically high number of clients, because of the continued crisis in the foster care system. If not for the structured environment here, the Department of Human Services would have to separate more families for the well-being of the children. We provide a place where they can stay together, accountable for addictions and safe from abusers. Their alternative is separation or endangerment. Still other women here wait to be reunited with their children that are presently in foster care. There does not appear to be any reduction in homeless women and children in the foreseeable future.