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65 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, May 2, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 28, 2005 Shelter projects aim for success The Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul work toward building homeless shelters in the valley By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Two multi-million-dollar projects aimed at expanding temporary shelter and transitional housing for Jackson County’s homeless are poised for success, organizers said Wednesday. The Salvation Army’s Medford Citadel will kick off a formal capital campaign today for its nearly $4 million "Path to Hope" project — with more than $1.2 million already pledged. The project is set to triple the number of housing units for homeless parents and children at the Army’s Hope House center on Crews Road. "They’ll have three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room — we’ll give them the dignity and privacy they need to create permanent, life-changing changes," said Bill Maentz, who’s heading the campaign. St. Vincent de Paul has raised nearly all of the $2.3 million needed for its "Beacon of Hope" campaign, including about $1.5 million in grants from some of the most prestigious foundations in the Northwest. That effort seeks to double the size of the agency’s 22-bed homeless shelter and to add day-use showers and laundry facilities, along with an array of other expanded services. Organizers for both efforts said they’ve been overwhelmed with community support. "It’s been incredible," said Kathy Morgan, co-leader for St. Vincent’s plan. "We’re excited and optimistic, but it certainly is pushing our stretch goal," added Maentz. Donations have ranged from a few dollars contributed to the agency’s "Buy a Square Foot" campaign, to checks for thousands from community members. In-kind help has included gifts such as a donation of all the concrete required for construction by LTM Inc. of Medford. St. Vincent’s has been particularly successful at bringing in grants. Representatives from the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation visited last week for more than two hours, said John Sack, a volunteer grant writer. Organizers have their fingers crossed for a $300,000 gift. "It’s a good project," Sack said. "When I started, I said the project would sell itself. All I need to do is present the facts as clearly as possible." Grant-makers seem to have been impressed with the agency’s all-volunteer staff of more than 175 people, Sack added. The Salvation Army project has been boosted by a $500,000 seed grant from the Reed and Carolee Walker Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. The city of Medford also awarded the agency $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to help pay for acquiring additional property near the site. And an anonymous donor offered $375,000 to help ensure homeless families can change their circumstances. People served by the existing program have obtained jobs, gotten sober, learned to save money and found alternate housing, Maentz said. "It’s a program that works, basically," he added. If the momentum for both projects continues, St. Vincent’s could demolish the existing homeless shelter this spring or early summer. Construction of the new shelter would begin soon after, Morgan said. The Salvation Army project is scheduled to begin a year from now, said Carrie Hanson, the agency’s development director. The projects are gaining momentum just as homelessness has garnered increased public attention. A recent sweep of the Bear Creek Greenway after the reported rape of a 15-year-old girl highlighted the issue. John Statler, a Medford city councilman and homeless advocate, said while the new projects are welcome, they won’t solve every problem. "The most dramatic thing has been the Greenway rape and the Greenway sweep," Statler said. "And for both those populations, the 15-year-old runaway and the homeless campers, there’s still no help." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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