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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2019)
6 Wednesday, June 26, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Local advocate wins scholarship By T. Lee Brown Correspondent Mandee Seeley of Sisters has won a scholarship from The National Alliance to End Homelessness to attend the sold-out 2019 National Conference on Ending Homelessness in Washington, D.C. In addition to covering her entrance fee to the confer- ence, the organization will fly Seeley to the capitol, pay her hotel costs, and supply her with a modest stipend. <I want to learn what other states are experiencing and their different methods of tackling homelessness,= Seeley said. She will attend the confer- ence July 22324, then bring back newfound knowledge to Sisters. Dozens of workshops and talks will tackle the nitty-gritty of working with homeless, or <houseless,= issues, as some prefer to call them. Subjects include <Rapid Re-Housing for Individual Homeless Adults: Veterans in the Lead,= and <Ending Unsheltered Family Homelessness.= The latter program promises to address practices, programmatic and system-level strategies to reduce the number of families living in cars or other places not intended for human habitation. Another workshop delves into <Understanding Unsheltered Homelessness.= Organizers say that over the last five years, unsheltered homelessness has been on the rise <even though the overall number of people who are homeless has gone down= in the United States. The work- shop will present emerging research in the field. The conference occurs during Capitol Hill Day. <I will make sure that Central Oregon is represented during my visit,= Seeley said, <as I will be speaking with mem- bers of Congress and their staff.= Seeley is an administra- tive assistant at Sisters Park and Recreation District. She volunteers at Habitat for Humanity, and joined the Vision Action Team for the Sisters Country Horizons Vision for the city of Sisters. She also initiated SPRD9s Community Cleanup Day program. She looks forward to learning from leaders and experts around the country. Seeley believes <we have an advantage here because we have a community with a huge heart willing to work on the issues.= One example is the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter com- mittee, which Seeley has been on since its inception. A temporary shelter was ini- tiated during the intense, snowy winter of 201632017. Before the shelter opened, an employee of McDonald9s died in his vehicle from hypo- thermia in December 2016. Local citizens, businesses, and churches banded together to provide meals and respite from the weather. Many residents of Sisters Country have been supportive of these efforts. In February of this year, The Nugget reported <a great deal of sup- port for the shelter evident= at a meeting about the cold weather shelter, <with people saying they are glad to know there9s a place for the home- less to go, that volunteering is a great joy to serve, and that the time spent at the shelter with the guests is a positive experience.= Writer Sue Stafford reported, <Pastor Jerry Kaping of Westside said that in three years time they have not had one negative experi- ence involving the shelter. The community has been sup- portive with monetary sup- port, volunteer hours, meal preparation, and donations of needed supplies for the shel- ter and its guests.= Some citizens, however, have expressed concern with having a cold weather shelter in Sisters. Some have sug- gested shutting down or mov- ing the shelter, which takes place in local churches that offer their facilities. This attitude, nick- named NIMBYism, will be addressed at the conference. The acronym stands for Not In My Backyard, and it rep- resents an attitude that peo- ple sometimes have toward programs that might affect the area closest to their own hats • hats • hats! Smile, Sisters! We’re committed to y your dental health! Exceptional Health, Prevention & Aesthetics For Your Family! Stormy Kromer, Scala, Stetson Sisters Dental Trevor Frideres d.m.d. p 541-549-9486 f 541-549-9110 290 W. Cascade Ave. 541-549-8424 www.mackenziecreekmercantile.com 410 E. Cascade Ave. • P.O. Box 1027 • Sisters EST. 1995 MEET THE ARTISTS Friday, June 28, 4-7 p.m. Sally Smith Presents Daughter Joelle Smith’s Western Art www.joellesmith.com Antler & Buffalo Hide Artist Maurice Brown Refreshments by Sally “Cookie Mom” Smith 311 E. CASCADE AVE., SISTERS | 541-549-4251 | OPEN DAILY 10 AM TO 6 PM | FACEBOOK.COM/ANTLERARTSINC PHOTO BY T. LEE BROWN Mandee Seeley watches her kids play in Deschutes National Forest near Sisters. The family, which is active in the Sisters community, has spent numerous months living in the woods without conventional housing. homes. <I have personally expe- rienced this NIMBY mind- set upon moving to Sisters,= Seeley said. In an effort to alleviate the housing crunch, a group met at the library to discuss poten- tial ideas for a trailer park or tiny home park. Some home- owners showed up and <were very upset at us for even con- sidering it,= said Seeley. Since moving to Sisters Country three years ago, Seeley and her family have spent many months unhoused in conventional housing. <People think those of us without housing are lazy and want to be in this situation, which isn9t true for all of us,= she noted. <Are there some who choose to live in the woods? Sure, but some of us have created a home for our- selves [in Sisters] and simply can9t afford the walls to make it work. <If we are going to tackle homelessness in our commu- nity, we need all community members on board and work- ing together,= Seeley said. Do you know your agent? Do you understand your policy? Are you overpaying? Call or come in today for a free Farmers Friendly Review 541-588-6245 • 257 S. Pine St., #101 www.farmersagent.com/jrybka AUTO • HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS