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Rogue Retreat’s survival is what’s important By Mail Tribune Editorial Board Updated: Aug 24, 2022 03:40 PM A A Supporters of Chad McComas, the ousted founder and executive director of the homeless services agency Rogue Retreat, have come to his defense, which is understandable. McComas is a longtime advocate for the homeless, and worked tirelessly since founding Rogue Retreat in the 1990s, building the agency into what it is today — a network of shelters that house 500 people a night across the valley. But despite that legacy, McComas is not more important than the agency he led or the mission it continues to pursue. Rogue Retreat is facing financial challenges that threaten its continued existence. The agency’s board of directors have determined that Rogue Retreat will be better off without McComas at the helm going forward. That had to be a very difficult decision, and given McComas’ long history, cannot have been made lightly. The decision deserves to be respected. McComas came under fire in June, when two activist groups raised questions about his ties to gay conversion therapy, a discredited “treatment” that seeks to “cure” same-sex attraction. McComas is pastor of Set Free Ministry, which in 2018 allowed a national group called Celebrate Recovery to hold meetings in its building. The group distributed pamphlets offering faith-based help with “addictive behavior” including same-sex attraction. McComas himself told a local TV station that he believes homosexuality is a sin, but does not let his beliefs influence how he treats people. Two investigations upheld that statement. A third-party investigation launched by Rogue Retreat found no evidence that anyone was discriminated against by McComas or Rogue Retreat staff. The city of Medford, which paused grant funding to Set Free in response to the allegations, confirmed a link between the church and conversion therapy but decided not to revoke the city funding. The Rogue Retreat board asked McComas to resign or be terminated, and he was removed from his position last week — not because of the allegations but for financial reasons. The board also laid off 25 staff members, also for financial reasons. McComas deserves credit for his years of dedication to Rogue Retreat and its mission. He will be missed by many, but he is not irreplaceable. The agency, however, could not be replaced at this point. No other organization can match Rogue Retreat’s record of housing so many people in so many different ways, with plans for more in the future. Ensuring its continued survival must take precedence over any individual.