Shepherd’s House Redmond Center Provides a “First Step Out of the Dirt”

Shepherd’s House Ministries has been operating in Deschutes County for 18 years. The nonprofit was founded and is still based in Bend, but has operated a shelter in Redmond since November 2023.

As reported by the Source, the Shepherd’s House Redmond Center became a 24/7 shelter in February 2024, “providing meals, showers, mobile outreach, day services, job readiness programs and wrap-around services.” It also doubles as an emergency shelter in the case of extreme weather or natural disasters.

A month and two years after opening its doors, the shelter’s occupancy tallies “normally about 50 people staying overnight,” according to Tom Kuhn, the Redmond Center’s assistant director. “In the case of emergency weather conditions, we can get up to about 80 people per night.”

Kuhn described the Redmond Center as a welcoming environment with the intention to get people off the streets above all else, especially since winter storms are forecasted to arrive soon. “Three meals a day, open to everybody, open from 7 am to 7 pm,” he summarized. “You can come in, hang out, eat meals, whatever.”

As with all shelters, the Redmond Center is limited in physical space and resources, and there’s often not enough room for everyone who needs it. “It’s a large emotional deal to know if you have a bunk or not,” Kuhn told the Source.

However, guests who have already secured a bed can ensure they don’t lose their spot “as long as they check in by 8 pm the following night,” he said. “And after 7 pm, there’s a little area open where people can stay till 10 if they don’t have a bunk.”

The Shepherd’s House Redmond Center exemplifies the concept of low-barrier housing – like the Lighthouse Navigation Center in Bend, this is shelter that prioritizes keeping unhoused people inside without holding them to strict standards. “We’re like a first step out of the dirt type thing,” Kuhn said. “Our goal there is to try and move our people to a higher level of care, where there are certain barriers.”

That could mean a shelter that requires guests to pass drug tests or maintain steady employment. Kuhn called this “medium-barrier,” but said that “even people that qualify” often wind up in low-barrier settings because “there’s just not enough housing… It’s very limited, with only a few [medium-barrier] options available.” He mentioned Bethlehem Inn as an example; that shelter’s website refers to itself as “high barrier.”

According to Kuhn, the Redmond Center is “50-100 beds” short in terms of adequately providing low-barrier housing, but he stated with pride that the Center is “on track for 80,000 meals served this year.”

To unhoused members of Redmond’s community, Kuhn said, “We can offer you food and security; we also give out clothing. But before anything else, you should find a case manager to help.”

The Shepherd’s House Redmond Center is located at 1350 S Hwy 97, across the highway from Pollack Memorial Field.

This article appears in the Source December 18, 2025.