EUGENE — St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County (SVdP) staff who oversee the agency’s Egan Warming Centers program are preparing for the upcoming winter season with new challenges to overcome following a 50-percent reduction in the program’s funding. Egan is one program among many affected by a state directive to reduce spending for shelter sites. SVdP, which also manages Eugene’s most extensive low-barrier shelter programs, has already diminished case management staff within these shelters to comply with the new budget reductions.
The agency will prioritize the Lane Events Center at the fairgrounds as a primary Egan shelter site when it’s available.
In Springfield, Egan will operate on demand from a modular tent shelter in the parking lot of the former WareMart at the corner of Mohawk and Centennial boulevards. “The Zone” shelter in Eugene, on a former retail property purchased and renovated by SVdP, is at 530 Hwy. 99 N just north of the nonprofit’s Eugene Service Station. Each has a capacity of 100 guests.
The primary Egan shelter sites serve adults only, but the program also provides a youth warming location for minors who need shelter. First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. in Eugene, will again serve as Egan’s youth site when needed this winter.
Lane Transit District has also committed to providing free transportation to and from Egan shelters as it has in years past.
Bill Barnard, SVdP’s director of operations, says the agency and its partners are committed to protecting the community’s most vulnerable neighbors despite budgetary constraints.
“Egan Warming Centers are the last stop for so many with nowhere else to go,” Barnard said. “This is life or death, and we refuse to lose sight of what that means for those folks in the community without shelter on the coldest nights. SVdP takes this responsibility seriously and continues to do all that we can with very limited resources.”
Donations, help sought
SVdP is seeking support to help the centers run effectively despite funding cuts. It needs material goods such as winter clothes, socks, and boots, as well as money to help purchase food and other necessary items.
Egan is also hosting a series of new volunteer orientations through November and December for those interested in helping to run the lifesaving shelters this season. Info: eganwarmingcenters.com
