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About North Douglas herald. (Drain Or) 2023-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2024)
Page 6 North Douglas Herald December 2024 Community Pages OHCS Invests $5 Million to Help Homeless Youth in Rural Oregon Salem OR — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is investing $5 million to combat rural homelessness through the Youth Emergency Housing Assistance Program (YEHA). The $5 million will be disbursed to five different organizations in Coos, Klamath, Lincoln, Douglas, and Josephine Counties that help youth and their families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. “We are committed to ensuring every young person in Oregon has a safe place to call home,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “By investing in real solutions to address youth homelessness, we aim to bridge the funding and service gaps that rural communities often face. This investment will help create sustainable pathways to housing stability and increase opportunities for our youth to thrive.” The YEHA project team analyzed data from both Oregon’s Emergency Homelessness Response and the Department of Education to identify which communities had the highest rate of youth experiencing homelessness to ensure these funds make the biggest possible impact. The YEHA project team chose the Coos County Office of Homelessness Response, Integral Youth Services in Klamath County, the Lincoln County Housing Authority, Family Faith and Relationship Advocates (FARA) in Douglas County, and the Maslow Project in Josephine County to receive funding. “This funding will empower us to expand our outreach, enhance our support services, and build sustainable solutions for the unique challenges faced by our Josephine County community,” said Maslow Project Founder and Executive Director Mary Ferrell. “It’s a vital step toward ensuring that youth and families in our county can access safe and stable housing. We know that when stabilized, youth are far more likely to finish high school, improve their long-term outcomes, and end the cycle of homelessness.” YEHA aims to provide housing- focused services to school-age children and their families to enhance family stability and school success. The organizations in these counties will establish and promote intentional collaboration between schools and housing providers to extend a reliable family support network and optimize the funding’s impact. These resources will help cover expenses such as rent, utilities, work and educational support, moving costs, transportation, furniture, household goods, and more. OHCS is Oregon’s housing finance agency. The state agency provides financial and program support to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians of low and moderate income. OHCS administers programs that provide housing stabilization. OHCS delivers these programs primarily through grants, contracts, and loan agreements with local partners and community-based providers. For more information, please visit: oregon.gov/ohcs. sometimes difficult, decisions like this one. The closure and eventual sale of the park will free up capital and staff resources that will be used elsewhere in the park system to address deferred maintenance needs, add new amenities, and provide an overall improved experience for its users.” The county parks department has claimed they have plans to sell the property before the end of the year, while county leaders say they regret letting the facility go, a private owner could reopen and help the affordable housing situation in the area by converting it to a mobile home park or long-term RV park. Proceeds from the sale would be matched with previously approved grant funding and reinvested into Charles V. Stanton Park and Whistlers Bend County Park was their position stated at the time. Passcreek Park consists of 2 tax lots, which is on record of being purchased by Douglas County in 1962 for` $10,000 and $16.000. This has been verified by the Counties paperwork but is no additional or corroborating documentation and there has been some contention that the record is incorrect and various sources claim the properety was donated to the County expressly for public park services. Additional investigation into these allegations would seem prudent. The only details of the early years of the park are the anecdotal memories of those who were familiar with it. But, beginning in 2015 the county included the Park as it developed it’s Masterplan, which, after public input was approved by the county Commissioners in December 2016. It was very controversial, as it sacrificed many of the parks throughout the County due to the claim of lack New Exhibit “Quilts & Christmas” Open at the Douglas County Museum Story by Scooter Brown Roseburg, OR -- Douglas County Commissioners, in conjunction with staff at the Douglas County Museum of History and Natural History are pleased to announce that a new limited time exhibit at the Douglas County Museum festively titled “Quilts & Christmas,” is now open and encourage all our citizens, young and old alike to visit. The exhibition will feature quilts, Christmas ornaments and toys from the museum’s extensive collection. The temporary exhibit is slated to run through February 2025. The “quilt” portion of the exhibit will showcase a diverse collection of hand-stitched family quilts, each with its own unique story and craftsmanship. These quilts date back to the mid-1800s, with several having traveled along the Oregon Trail, a testament to their role in preserving warmth and comfort during one of the most significant migrations in American history. The “stars of the show” are four crazy quilts from the 1890’s to early 1900’s. The exhibit will also highlight a stunning contrast with a modern “Graffiti” quilt from 2002, blending traditional quilting techniques with contemporary artistic expression. Hand-stitched quilts represent a rich legacy of ingenuity and provide interesting historical documentation from the earliest days of our country to the present. These quilts, often passed down through generations, not only serve as functional items but also carry the stories and culture of the people who made them. In the earliest days of our country, quilts were essential for warmth, using available materials, often scraps of fabric, to create something both practical and beautiful. As an art form, quilting evolved significantly over time. Early American quilts were typically made with simple designs, sometimes in traditional patterns like “Log Cabin” or “Nine-Patch,” reflecting the practical needs of pioneer life. In contrast, modern hand stitched quilts may showcase intricate designs, personalized embroidery, and a broader array of materials. Each quilt tells a story—whether it’s the history of a particular family, a cultural expression, or an artist’s personal narrative. These quilts can also serve as historical documentation, reflecting the socioeconomic conditions of their time, the evolution of textile production, and the influence of changing fashion trends. Today, both quilt makers and the public find inspiration in quilts, whether for their craftsmanship, their use of color, or their historical significance. Museums, exhibitions, and quilting communities continue to preserve and celebrate this form of artistic expression, ensuring that it remains an important part of our cultural heritage. The “Christmas” portion of the exhibit will display a curated selection of antique and noteworthy Christmas ornaments and toys from the museum’s extensive collection. Visitors will be transported through time with delicate glass ornaments, handcrafted decorations, and vintage toys that capture the holiday spirit of past eras. These cherished items, some dating back to the early 20th century, offer a glimpse into the traditions and joys of Christmas celebrations through the years, showcasing the evolution of festive decor and the sentimental value placed on holiday treasures. The exhibit will also showcase a selection of the 6,000 handmade ornaments created for the 2002 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. In addition, the exhibit will feature photographs capturing the journey of the tree, commemorating the year when Douglas County was chosen to provide the annual Christmas tree to the White House in Washington, D.C. This significant event in our history will be beautifully illustrated, offering visitors a glimpse into the pride and tradition behind this remarkable contribution to the nation’s holiday celebrations. For more than 50 years, curators of the Douglas County Museum have been collecting, preserving and exhibiting natural and cultural history items. Historically our local communities have relied on the mining, fishing, farming, transportation and timber harvesting to thrive in Douglas County. Our museum links the connections between natural resources and these industries in their exhibits and cultural events to make history come to life. From the snowcapped peak of Mt. Thielsen nestled in the Cascades Mountain Range, through the Umpqua River Valley, to the Coastal Mountain Range to the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean at Winchester Bay, Douglas County traverses an amazingly wide range of elevations and environments. It is Douglas County’s ecological diversity that is showcased in Oregon’s largest natural history exhibition – “The Land of the Umpqua’s”. The Douglas County Museum of History and Natural History is located at 123 Museum Drive in Roseburg, Oregon (conveniently located off I-5 Exit 123 and adjacent to the Douglas County Fairgrounds). It is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. It can take 1-3 hours to tour the museum depending on your pace. The Lavola Bakken Research Library is open Tuesday through Saturday 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm. Admission is free for members, ages 0-4 are free, students 5-17 are $2.00, adults are $8.00, seniors and veterans are $5.00. The “Museum Mercantile,” the museum gift shop, offers the area’s leading source of books on Douglas County’s natural and cultural history, as well as a wide range of Oregon souvenirs and other great gift items including educational and historic toys. Yoncalla Beautification Anticipates Good Year Mary Ellen Laswell, chairman of theYoncalla Beautification Committee, announced at its November meeting that it has received a donation of $3,000 from the VanLoon Foundation. This amount brings a total of $3,700 to be applied toward a matching fund donation of $5,000 made by an anonymous donor. If additional donations totaling $1,300 are received by the end of 2024, the committee will have $10,000 to spend on Yoncalla improvement projects. A total of 15 possible projects scheduled for 2025 were discussed and prioritized at the meeting. A current project sponsored by YBC is assisting local businesses and residents in placing strings of red and green Christmas lights throughout town during the holiday season. Other projects chosen as priorities for 2025 include: updating the civic sign on Eagle Valley Road, town cleanup day, increasing the number of hanging flower baskets throughout town, giving welcome kits to new residents, sidewalk maintenance, and replacing wornout U.S. flags that are displayed during holidays. Funds for these projects depend on tax deductible donations made out and sent before the end of 2024 to the Yoncalla Beautification Project, Doris Bartlett, treasurer, P.O. Box 936, Yoncalla, OR 97499. Yoncalla area citizens are invited and encouraged to join YBC to contribute ideas for keeping our town a comfortable place to live. Meetings are held the fourth Thursday each month beginning at 6 p.m, at the Community Center. There will not be a December meeting; the next meeting will be January 23. Are You Interested in Home Delivery? North Douglas Herald Newspaper Carriers coming Soon North Douglas Herald is pleased to announce a new home delivery option coming soon. We are first rolling out in the communities of Drain, Elkton and Yoncalla, in town for now, with rural delivery coming at a later date. The Herald will remain free with a $2 delivery fee, paid directly to the news carrier monthly. Newspapers will arrive at your home or place of business the following day from delivery by the printer and will be the earliest editions available. Delivery subscribers can contact newscarr iers@ndherald.com, mail to Newscarriers, ND Herald, PO Box 581, Drain OR 97435, or through your neighborhood newscarrier. If you are interested in becoming a newscarrier and are at least 14 years old (parental permission required for those under 18), reliable and currently live in Drain, Elkton or Yoncalla and can operate a neighborhood timely delivery service please contact us for more information. For those of you outside of those 3 communities, we are still planning on setting up home delivery in all of our coverage areas. We are looking for interested home delivery recipients as well as those who are interested in a home business of newspaper deliveries. Currently, the North Douglas Herald is working on home delivery in the following communities; Roseburg, Sutherlin, Oakland, Cottage Grove, Reedsport, Florence, Eugene, Springfield, Juntion City, Brownsville and Albany. Contact carrier@ndherald.com or mail to Newscarriers, ND Herald, PO Box 581, Drain OR 97435.
