SPRINGFIELD — After Gov. Tina Kotek’s state of emergency declaration regarding homelessness in January 2023, Lane County received roughly $18.5 million to work toward three initiatives: preventing homelessness, rehousing unhoused citizens, and increasing the number of available shelter beds. Nonprofit Catholic Community Services (CCS) of Lane County has made significant progress toward these goals, in addition to fulfilling other community needs. CCS reports the following data from its most recent fiscal year: July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024:
Preventing homelessness
■ Stabilized 55 households — 179 individuals — through assistance with utilities, rent, transportation and more.
■ Assisted 3,832 households with utilities — costing over $2.4 million.
■ Assisted 117 families with housing and rent — costing $359,987.
Rehousing unhoused citizens
■ Placed 34 households — 59 individuals, 29 of whom were seniors — into housing.
Increasing available shelter beds
■ CCS created an OASIS Emergency Family Shelter in the parking lot of their location at 1025 G St. This emergency shelter can support up to 5 families, or 20 individuals.
■ 11 families have used the shelter since Jan. 1, 2024.
Assisting immigrants
■ Provided immigration legal services to over 350 individuals.
■ Provided case management services to over 100 individuals.
■ Provided employment services to over 65 individuals.
■ Resettled 48 refugees.
■ Assisted many immigrants, including 61 Ukrainians, 30 Haitians, and 38 Afghans.
Other needs
■ Supported 311 families with 11,229 case management services
■ Distributed 33,816 food boxes — a 13% increase over the last year, and 83% increase over the last three years.
■ Distributed 125,790 items of clothing
■ Saw 15,813 individuals seeking assistance — an 81% increase over the last three years.
All of this was made possible with the help of more than 150 volunteers, who logged over 12,000 hours, which is the equivalent of nearly six full-time staff members.
— Ember Holman
