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Rogue Retreat names interim leadership team By Vickie Aldous Updated: Sep 07, 2022 06:01 PM A A Rogue Retreat, which offers a variety of shelter options for homeless people, has a new interim leadership team. [File photo] Team analyzing nonprofit’s finances A team of community leaders with extensive financial experience temporarily has taken the reins of Rogue Retreat, a local nonprofit that provides shelter to hundreds of people. The board of directors of the financially troubled organization announced Wednesday it’s named a “blue-ribbon group” of local leaders to manage Rogue Retreat for the next 4 to 6 months. Bill Ihle, on loan from Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern Oregon, is serving as interim executive director for Rogue Retreat. Bill Ihle He said he took on the role after community members asked him to step forward. “Failure is not an option for Rogue Retreat or for the 550 residents we take care of,” Ihle said. “Society has already said ‘no’ to them. I wasn’t going to be another person to say ‘no.’ It’s in the community’s interest for Rogue Retreat to succeed. If this team can play a part in helping Rogue Retreat get back to financial stability, we should do that.” Rogue Retreat is a major provider of services for homeless people, including a supervised urban campground in Medford, a tiny house community, the Kelly Shelter, and apartments that offer stepping stones out of homelessness. Over the next several months, the interim team will hire a permanent executive director, complete a financial audit, identify financial issues and address the short- and long-term financial challenges facing Rogue Retreat, the board of directors said. Rogue Retreat founder and executive director Chad McComas was pushed out of the organization in August after activist groups said he allowed the distribution of a gay conversion therapy pamphlet at a Medford church under his direction. In a 2018 letter to a concerned community member, McComas did not condemn the pamphlet. Widely discredited by medical and psychological experts, conversion therapy is not actual therapy, and efforts to force people to stop being gay often are harmful and can increase the risk of suicide. An investigation by Rogue Retreat found no evidence of discrimination by McComas or Rogue Retreat staff. Several people interviewed by the Mail Tribune said McComas had always been accepting and supportive of their sexual identity or gender orientation. He told a television station he personally believes the Bible and thinks homosexuality is a sin, but does not let that influence how he treats people. Ihle, the new interim director, said he doesn’t know yet whether Rogue Retreat’s financial woes preceded the controversy, or if the controversy caused the organization to lose funding. “I do know there’s a sizable deficit,” Ihle said. “We’re trying to get a handle on the finances so we can talk to the funders and say, ‘Come back in and support this.’ They want a clear financial picture, and we need one.” Rogue Retreat’s funding sources have ranged from personal donations to government grants. Kristi Schoenbachler, a certified public accountant with extensive experience in for-profit and nonprofit financial matters, has joined the Rogue Retreat interim leadership team as the chief financial officer. Angela Durant, principal planner for city of Medford Housing and Community Development, will oversee contract compliance for Rogue Retreat. Sam Engle will oversee the alignment of current service contracts, their related revenue and staffing costs and relevance to Rogue Retreat’s mission going forward, the board of directors said. Rogue Retreat had layoffs in August after the board of directors said staffing had to be cut to line up with the current budget. Ihle said decisions about staffing will be made thoughtfully and with an understanding about the needs of clients served by Rogue Retreat. “No decisions have been made. We need to factor in the finances, the mission and our core strengths,” he said. “Does it make financial sense for us to do programs X, Y and Z?” Rogue Retreat is missing out on a major source of revenue by not applying for more funding from state marijuana tax revenue distributions. In an earlier round, it received money to help fund shelter beds and its urban campground. Ihle said an application was due a few weeks ago, but Rogue Retreat didn’t have enough plans and information about its budget and financial position to apply. Oregon’s process for applying for the money is cumbersome. The process requires groups in each city to coordinate which services they want to provide — like overdose antidote kits, housing help and peer mentors. “We were going to hold up other community partners,” Ihle said. “For the sake of the community, we didn’t apply. We still don’t have an actual budget.” He said Rogue Retreat hopes to apply for funding in the future. Approved by voters in 2020, Measure 110 diverts hundreds of millions of dollars in annual marijuana tax revenue from law enforcement, schools and other services to pay for support services for people dealing with drug and alcohol use. The state oversight committee that allocates funding is taking months longer than expected. Measure 110 also decriminalized user amounts of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. In a press release, Rogue Retreat Board of Directors President Tom Fischer thanked staff person Matt Vorderstrasse for stepping in as interim director until the board could name an interim leadership team. Vorderstrasse is taking a new job in Coos County. “Matt has done an excellent job under difficult circumstances leading the day-to-day operations. The board, staff and community leaders thank Matt for his dedication during this challenging time,” Fischer said. Fischer said each member of the new interim leadership team is committed to making sure Rogue Retreat continues to meet the needs of the homeless community. Additional members of the leadership team will be added as needed, the board said. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.