Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
A pair of representatives from the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council spoke at The Dalles City Council last night. At a recent city council meeting, they had presented an update on the work of the council, also known as MCCAC (muh KACK). That report included the growth of the MCCAC staff from 9 to 30 employees. After they left, one of the members of the council wondered out loud what those 30 employees did.
That sparked this remark from MCCAC Executive Director Leslie Naramore:
“Our staff are a group of dedicated individuals who do everything from running our current shelter programs, to providing wraparound case management to rehousing 23 families who lost their home in the Rowena Fire, to delivering mattresses to Rowena Fire survivors who couldn’t pick up the mattresses themselves. They are stretched thin. But every day they come to work and they get things done.”
Sarah Kellems, Development and Engagement Coordinator for the agency added this:
“175 community members at risk of eviction did not lose their housing, and that 68 community members transitioned from houselessness into longterm housing placements. Of those 68 people, 40 were living with disabilities, and of the 175 community members who avoided eviction, 79 percent of them were children and youth.
Councilor Tim McGlothlin reported that he had joined with representatives of St Vincent de Paul and Bread and Blessing in looking at areas where they could feed the homeless without causing a nuisance to nearby businesses and residential areas.
Recently camping has been taking place near the boat dock and First Street, and visitors have been reluctant to get off the tour boats and explore the city.
The five locations they scouted included three areas owned by the city and two private properties. They were a small parcel of land near the Rock Fort site, the old pallet shelter on Bargeway Road, a very small pull-out near the Humane Society on River Road, The Oregon Food Bank on Crates Way, and the west end of Second Street by the fish overpass. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and the council will work with St. Vincent’s and Bread and Blessings to find the best solution.