22
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
SHELTER: COVID-19
restrictions create
hurdles
Continued from page 1
BY KATHY DEGGENDORFER
WILDFIRE: Local
residents should
be prepared to act
Continued from page 3
Country residents are urged
to be prepared. It9s never
too late to create and main-
tain defensible space around
your property and to make
sure that it is readily acces-
sible to fire equipment. That
gives firefighters a fighting
chance to save your home
in the event of a blaze that
threatens residences.
The website www.ready
forwildfire.org offers exten-
sive tips for evacuation:
Emergency Supply Kit
Checklist
" Three-day supply of
non-perishable food and
three gallons of water per
person.
" Map marked with at
least two evacuation routes.
" Prescriptions or special
medications.
" Change of clothing.
" Extra eyeglasses or con-
tact lenses.
" An extra set of car keys,
credit cards, cash or travel-
er9s checks.
" First aid kit.
" Flashlight.
" Battery-powered radio
and extra batteries.
" Sanitation supplies.
" Copies of important
documents (birth certifi-
cates, passports, etc.)
" Don9t forget pet food
and water! (The website also
offers extensive tips on pre-
paring for pet evacuation.)
NuggetNews.com
is your online source for
Breaking News
Classifieds
Weather
Road Reports
Sisters Oregon
Guide
Items to take if time
allows:
" Easily carried valuables.
" Family photos and other
irreplaceable items.
" Personal computer
information on hard drives
and disks.
" C h a rg e r s f o r c e l l
phones, laptops, etc.
Always keep a sturdy pair
of shoes and a flashlight near
your bed and handy in case
of a sudden evacuation at
night.
Sometimes residents
feel compelled to stay to
try to defend their home.
Firefighters and other emer-
gency personnel strongly
advise against this impulse.
Not only does it put the
homeowner in danger, it
endangers firefighters and
law enforcement personnel
at grave risk, because they
are duty-bound to try to help
you if you9re in danger.
life-threatening lows. The
shelter uses space in a build-
ing separate from the church
for the shelter and food bank.
The current shelter com-
mittee has recently held sev-
eral meetings to discuss pos-
sible options for sheltering
during extreme conditions.
By comparison to previous
years, last winter was rela-
tively mild, so a number of
the unhoused showed up
for dinner and socializing,
but went back to their tents,
cars, RVs and campsites for
the night. Providing meals
is impacted by the same
COVID-19 concerns as
offering shelter. There may
be a way to provide <to-go=
dinners.
A number of possible
options are currently being
investigated, as well as back-
up plans for life-threatening
temperatures. The first win-
ter the shelter was in place 4
two weeks before it opened
its doors 4 a local man who
worked in Sisters and was
homeless, froze to death
sleeping in his car.
There have been dis-
cussions about securing an
unoccupied house to provide
transitional housing for a few
people who are working their
way out of homelessness.
Last winter, several people/
families were in trailers at
the Bend-Sisters Garden RV
Park, with all or part of their
rent paid by the shelter com-
mittee. They may have funds
available to provide help
in that way. The RV park
located in town on Highway
20, across from the FivePine
campus, has a year-and-a-
half waiting list.
Besides COVID-19,
another problem has arisen
this year. Shepherd9s House,
which provides services for
the unhoused in Bend, is
also running the Redmond
shelter, and has been asked
to do the same, if a location
can be found, for the Bend
shelter that was housed at
the sheriff9s office last year.
Since the Sisters shelter
opened, Shepherd9s House
has offered much needed
assistance, including serving
as the 501(c)(3) under whose
umbrella the Sisters facil-
ity was able to accept much
needed donations of money
and materials. With the
added work generated by the
Bend and Redmond shelters,
they can no longer offer that
relationship to Sisters.
Wi t h o u t S h e p h e r d 9s
House, the Sisters shelter
needs to find a local non-
profit who could fill that
role, or they would need to
apply for their own 501(c)(3)
status, which takes time and
money and the services of an
attorney. Possible local part-
nerships are being explored
by the shelter committee.
They are also investigating
shelter programs in other
communities for ideas.
Shelter is only one need
faced by those without a
home. Some medical care has
been donated by local physi-
cians in the past. Donations
of warm clothing and camp-
ing supplies are always
needed and can be dropped
off at the Habitat ReStore
at 254 W. Adams Ave. for
camping supplies and the
Habitat Thrift Store at 211
E. Adams Ave. for warm
clothing.
For anyone interested in
serving on the shelter com-
mittee, or who has ideas for
addressing the present situ-
ation, or has questions, con-
tact Gary Eidsmoe at gary.
eidsmoe@gmail.com.
Ready to act?
Anyone interested in serving
on the shelter committee, or
who has ideas for addressing
the present situation, or has
questions, can contact:
Gary Eidsmoe
gary.eidsmoe@gmail.com
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