veterans
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Vet Village Opens

After years of development, houseless veterans will begin moving into a village-style shelter this week
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

About five houseless veterans will move into the Central Oregon Veterans Village this week, with about 10 more to come once the shelter is fully completed. A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday ended the three-year-long process to get the shelter built. Bend Heroes Foundation conceived of the project and Central Oregon Veterans Outreach will manage the […]

Posted inNews

End of an Abstraction

There’s no single view among veterans on the Afghan withdrawal, but they do face unique challenges both during their service and after
Avatar photo by Jack Harvel

There are around 22,000 veterans in Central Oregon—less than 10% of the population. Nationally about 7% of the population has served in the military. Three million served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A slim, and decreasing fraction of United States citizens know the rigors of military life and even fewer the unique challenges […]

Posted inNews

Tiny Homes for Vets

A project offering transitional shelters for veterans gets off the ground
Laurel Brauns

Central Oregon Veterans Outreach estimates that there are between 80 and 100 veterans living in the region without homes. But the exact number is hard to find. The 2019 Point In Time Count published by the Homeless Leadership Coalition reported 62 veterans. Hundreds of homeless camps dot the landscape on the outskirts of Bend and […]

Posted inOpinion

Glass Slipper: A Sea Change in Solving the Housing Crisis

A decade in the making, 2020 appears to be the year for real movement on the housing crisis
The Source Staff

Central Oregonians have been painfully aware of the extent of the housing crisis for years. As the community began to emerge from the Great Recession, locals began to understand that the flip side of “bust” is “boom”—and that “boom,” for a lot of people, translated into a housing affordability problem and a growing population of […]

Posted inNews

Transportation, Housing, Urban Development Appropriations

Bill would address infrastructure in Oregon
Chris Miller

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced June 8 that key provisions of the pending Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill will help Oregon communities. “We have urgent infrastructure needs, and got $1 billion in funding for TIGER grants to improve roads and bridges,” Merkley said in a statement. The bill made it through the […]

Posted inNews

G.I. Joe Goes to Washington

WWII vets, average age 92, transform into 18-year-olds during trips to D.C.
Brian Jennings

With a flurry of flags crossing the thoroughfare, it wasn’t a typical Sunday morning at Portland International Airport. Milling through the crowds were hundreds of flag-bearing veterans, waiting to greet their brothers and sisters returning from Washington, D.C. on an Honors Flight for WWII vets. The group—average age 92—had departed Portland the previous Thursday for […]

Posted inNews

Oregon Senior Games are Back

5k will benefit Disabled American Veterans program
Angela Moore

The Oregon Senior Games (OSG) is a collection of organized athletic events that are open for active adults, age 50 and older, and is a qualifier for ranking in the National Senior Games in Birmingham, Ala. Oregon was one of the last states to participate in this event. Going on its third year come this […]

Posted inMusic

The Power of Music

Soldier Songs helps vets find their voice
Avatar photo Jared Rasic

Chuck Hemingway is a soldier with a song. He wrote the lyrics for “Outside The Wire Again” and the song was put to music by Mark Quon. The song sheds light on the ghostly images that haunt him and the way his mind travels back to the deafening roar of an ambush: “John buddy what […]

Posted inNews

Wyden, Blumenauer Introduce Bill to Open Access to Outdoor Recreation

Sherron Lumley

Washington, D.C. – Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer today introduced legislation to increase outdoor recreation access for visitors and boost rural economies in Oregon and nationwide. Based on input from Oregonians about how to remove bureaucratic roadblocks to public lands, the Recreation Not Red-Tape (RNR) Act expands outdoor recreation opportunities for all […]

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