Shepherd’s House Ministries, a local nonprofit providing shelter services, recovery programs and support for individuals experiencing homelessness, announced on Feb. 12 that it expanded its Redmond Center to now offer daytime services.
Before opening the space as a permanent, year-round shelter in Redmond, it was limited to an annual overnight winter shelter four months out of the year. When the Redmond Center held its grand opening in November 2023, it offered overnight stays to more than 40 people a night, operating from 6pm to 7am.
This expansion will now also allow people to come and seek shelter during the day. The permanent shelter operates 24/7, 365 days a year and will be continually and instantly available as a sanctuary during weather or wildfire emergencies.
The Shepherd’s House Redmond Center opened as a result of a community need for a year-round, low-barrier shelter in the area, providing meals, showers, mobile outreach, day services, job readiness programs and wrap-around services.
“Our guests will now have a safe place to be all the time. We hope Shepherd’s House Redmond will also become a community where people will have their basic needs met and their hopes for the future realized,” said John Lodise, director of low-barrier services.
While winter weather persists, several other shelters and public buildings are offering daytime warming spaces and overnight shelter. Locations with daytime warming spaces include The Lighthouse Navigation Center, the Council on Aging in Bend, the Sisters Park and Recreation District, the La Pine Activity Center and the Deschutes Public Libraries in Bend, Redmond, La Pine and Sisters.
The Lighthouse Navigation Center and Shepherd’s House Redmond offer both daytime services and overnight shelter, and the Door Church in La Pine offers overnight shelter. J Bar J Youth Services offers daytime and overnight shelter, as space allows, for youth up to 24 years old. In extreme weather situations, individuals can call 211 to see if additional shelters may be available.
