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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Get expert advice on what's best after hospital ... Chris Honoré: Water: the oil of the 21st century ... Council OK using Pioneer Hall as shelter again ... Get expert advice on what's best after hospital ... Chris Honoré: Water: the oil of the 21st century ... Council OK using Pioneer Hall as shelter again ... ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL Council OK using Pioneer Hall as shelter again Comment By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Oct. 25, 2015 at 1:53 PM By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Oct. 25, 2015 at 1:53 PM » Social News Those in Ashland without a roof over their heads will have a place to sleep indoors two nights a week this winter after the Ashland City Council on Tuesday renewed an agreement allowing the use of city facilities to house a homeless shelter. This is the fourth year the city has partnered with a volunteer group to make Pioneer Hall on Windburn Way available as a shelter during the winter months. The shelter, a volunteer project coordinated by the Social Justice and Action Committee of the Unitarian Fellowship, provides food and beds Tuesday and Thursday nights from mid-November to mid-April. The council made changes to the agreement for this year. Citing rising use of the shelter over four years, the council approved an increase in the allowable number of guests at the site to 30 from 25. Shelter coordinator John Wieczorek says the average nightly occupancy has risen from an average of 19 people per night at its inception to 25 people last year. In a subsequent interview, Wieczorek said the increase in allowed occupancy is welcome. “It seems like the need has grown," Wieczorek said. "Even in our affluent community of Ashland, 18 percent of the population lives at or below the poverty level. Which means many of them are just one bad break away from losing their housing.” Wieczorek says there is just a 1 to 2 percent vacancy rate in rental housing in Ashland and that if a person does become homeless, it can become increasingly difficult to secure housing afterward. He also says rents are on the rise in town, which increases the burden on those living in poverty. Wieczorek says about a third of the guests at the shelter are women, and that use of the shelter transcends age. While no minors are permitted to use the shelter, it is common to have people as young as 20, as well as senior citizens in the same night. He noted that elderly and disabled people have a more difficult time on the street and that the shelter provides an essential service for them in the colder months. At least two people staff the shelter each night it is open. Wieczorek says behavior problems are rare. “We very rarely have those kinds of problems," he said. "Usually it is a mental health issue and some guests have a hard time controlling their noise level. But we typically can have a conversation and remind them of the 10 o’clock lights-out, and that’s as far as it goes.” Wieczorek did inform the council that dogs, which are allowed in the shelter, were not being crated. Keeping animals kenneled was in the agreement the group signed with the city, but Wieczorek said it was not practical to transport kennels to the facility in addition to all the bedding and food the group brings to Pioneer Hall each night the shelter is open. Councilor Greg Lemhouse expressed his consternation that the group was not abiding by the rules regarding animals. “I think it’s a bad idea," Lemhouse said. "I can see a lot of problems with it. It says in the agreement ‘dogs must remain in crates.’ And to hear that they are not doing it is kind of a slap in the face. I’m not at a point where I want to end the program because I think too many people would be hurt. But we put it in there for a reason and I think it’s a good reason. I think we’re really tempting fate by having people sleep with their dogs out in the open.” Wieczorek says there have been no problems thus far with animal behavior at the shelter. “I would say that the concern about the dogs is more of a perception than anything that has happened," Wieczorek said. "I think it’s the fear of ‘what if there was a problem?’ that is the concern.” After lengthy discussion, the council decided to remove language requiring dogs to be crated at the shelter. Wieczorek also noted that a volunteer organization of veterinarians called Street Dogs does extensive outreach at the shelter, performing vaccinations, spaying and neutering, and medical services to dogs owned by the homeless population. The council also directed city staff to add a stipulation that the guest-to-volunteer ratio at the shelter not exceed 15-to-1 and that the facility should be cleaned to the standards recommended by the Jackson County Animal Shelter, including use of diluted bleach, to prevent the spread of disease between animals. The Pioneer Hall Winter Shelter is a key component of the network of shelters in Ashland. The shelter, which is jointly operated by the Unitarian Fellowship and Temple Emek Shelom, provides shelter Tuesday and Thursday, The First Presbyterian Church hosts a shelter Mondays, and the Trinity Episcopal Church hosts a shelter Wednesday nights. Wieczorek says the group will be hosting a training session for anyone wishing to volunteer at the shelter on Nov. 11 at the First Presbyterian Church. For details, contact him at 541-482-8230. Alec Dickinson is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected] By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Oct. 25, 2015 at 1:53 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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