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Annual sleep-out Saturday aids homeless Options for Homeless Residents of Ashland President John Wieczorek and his son Keegan at the 2015 sleepout. Courtesy photo Sunday Oct 30, 2016 at 4:55 PM Oct 30, 2016 at 4:55 PM By Julie Akins For the Tidings With an average night-time temperature of 33 degrees in Ashland in November, few people would want to sleep outside, even in a tent. Factor in possible rain (typically about 3 inches in the month) and wind and the number shrinks even more. But for those on the homeless spectrum, from sleeping in cars to having no cover at all, this is the nightly task.  To bring awareness to this fact, the nonprofit group Options for Homeless Residents of Ashland is holding its annual sleep out the evening of Saturday, Nov. 5, at the athletic field of the former Lincoln Elementary School at Beach and Henry streets.  The group encourages people willing to sleep outside for one night to experience what the group calls “willingness to endure one cold night without a roof over your head” in order to have a greater understanding of homelessness and the challenges of those who are not housed. If a person can’t do that, they can make a pledge to sponsor those who can.  “Last year people told us that spending a cold evening out — which was not exactly recreational camping even in a tent — gave them real insight into the sense of insecurity that the homeless experience,” according to OHRA board member Ginny Sagal. “They described it as humbling.”  According to OHRA, funds raised by the sleepout to to the Ashland Community Resource Center (ACRC) to help homeless residents in the community. A percentage of that money went to house 42 families. Sixty-three families received rental or utility bill assistance and 14 people secured employment. The group claims a total of 723 individuals received help through the Resource Center. Last year the the sleepout fund- and consciousness raising event netted $23,000 from the community. Besides the funds and a window into the homeless experience, the sleepout is intended to show solidarity with residents of Ashland who don’t have a roof over their heads.  Those without a roof won’t have one until deeper into winter. Homeless shelters open Mondays through Thursdays November through April at a rotating series of locations in Ashland. In addition, the city opens an emergency shelter when overnight lows are expected to drop to 20 or below. Census numbers from 2015 on a single night count found some 300 people homeless in Ashland. If the state numbers correlate in Southern Oregon, it’s likely that population has grown as Oregon has had increases steadily since 2014. Homelessness has risen by nearly 3 percent annually since then.  The city of Ashland recently increased the cap on the number of spaces available at Pioneer Hall when it's used as an overnight shelter to 42 from 30. There are no permanent shelters and the facilities which provide shelter on the coldest nights of the year do so only as an emergency. No one has a seven night per week option.  That fact, and the lack of affordable housing in Ashland, where a rental vacancy rate of less than 2 percent which continues to keep prices high due to competition in finding a home, has been on the radar of city officials. It remains a talking point among all candidates seeking election in the races for Ashland City Council and mayor. Yet, other than the raised cap at Pioneer Hall, there are no new plans for housing homeless people this coming winter, as of yet.  Mayor John Stromberg opened Pioneer Hall for homeless residents during a recent major storm, fearing heavy rain and high winds could get dangerous for people with nowhere to sleep but outside. That action changed precedent regarding the 20-degree mark and the mayor said he hopes it will open up more options for the homeless throughout the winter.  Organizers say anyone interested in participating in the sleepout organizers should know it begins at 3 p.m. and goes until 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6. They are not only seeking people who want to do the camp-out but also those who are willing to help set and break down tents. They hope to have everything gone by 10 a.m. on Saturday. For details, call 541-708-0511, go to homelessoptions.org, or stop by the ACRC office at 1908 Ashland St. Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@julieakins.