JOHN DAY — Oregonians who voted for Measure 110 did not just decriminalize small amounts of most illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine; they also redirected millions of dollars
A Piece of the Puzzle
A Redmond hotel will soon become the city s first year-round shelter thanks to funding from
Project Turnkey, the statewide initiative to convert hotel and motels into housing Amid rising housing costs and stagnant wages, Central Oregon s homeless population is growing, and shelter beds are in short supply. But, this June, at least 25 shelter beds will be added to the mix, as Bend-based nonprofit Bethlehem Inn uses state funding to convert a motel in Redmond. On April 27, Bethlehem Inn received a $2.7 million grant to acquire and convert Redmond s 37-room Greenway Motel. The grant is a part of Project Turnkey, a $65 million statewide initiative to convert up to 20 hotels and motels into housing for people displaced by the 2020 wildfires or people who are homeless. The Redmond motel one of 12 projects funded thus far will shelter unhoused individuals and act as the city s first year-round shelter.