Bethlehem Inn asks Redmond City Council to help fund new shelter
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) At Tuesday evening s Redmond City Council meeting, Bethlehem Inn Executive Director Gwenn Wysling asked councilors to contribute $450,000 to their Redmond shelter project, to help with the growing homelessness problem across Central Oregon.
Wysling says they ve operated a shelter in Bend for years, and have now acquired the Greenway Motel in Redmond for a new high-barrier homeless shelter through the state-funded Project Turnkey program. High-barrier means they have to pass a drug and alcohol test and not be a registered sex offenders.
Wysling added that they are looking to fill $900,000 in funding to complete the project, and if the council can contribute half of that amount, she s confident Deschutes County commissioners will match the rest.
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.
City of Bend to consider 2 NE Bend motels for converting into temporary transitional shelter
Two NE Bend motels are in the running for a state-funded project to be purchased by city of Bend for temporary transitional housing
Process resumes a month after earlier motel purchase plan was scrubbed
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A month after the city of Bend called off plans to buy a Third Street motel to convert into a transitional shelter, city councilors Wednesday night agreed to begin the process again, this time considering two other northeast Bend motels, to see if one is suitable for a state-funded grant program.
Bethlehem Inn receives $2.7 million state grant to buy, convert Redmond motel into homeless shelter
Bethlehem Inn plans to convert Redmond motel into shelter
Initially will house up to 25 people, 90 longer-term
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) The Oregon Community Foundation announced Tuesday that the Bethlehem Inn will receive a Project Turnkey grant of nearly $2.7 million for the acquisition and conversion of a 37-room motel in Redmond. The property will serve emergency needs, initially providing 25 rooms of safe, stable shelter for people experiencing homelessness.
“Bethlehem Inn has been serving the region’s homeless population with emergency shelter services for over 20 years,” says Gwenn Wysling, executive director of the 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 trusti