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345 SE 5th, Madras, OR 97741 | 541.475.2275
From left, Margie Leutwiler, Barbara Hill, Mildred Chotard and Anna Ashby serve hot soup and sandwiches during the Jan. 26 homeless count at the Madras Christian Church.
Many area homeless people received at hot meal and supplies at the Madras Christian Church, while others were contacted by outreach volunteers during the annual tri-county One-Day Homeless Count Jan. 26.
This is the third year the Madras Christian Church has served as the command center for Jefferson County.
"We opened at 7 a.m. and had people waiting outside at quarter to 7," said Pastor Walt Chamberlain, who helps organize the local count.
At the church, he said some 30-40 volunteers served hot soup and sandwiches, and handed out food bags, blankets, propane, pet food, clothing, and more to those coming in to complete a survey for the count.
Besides the church, outreach volunteers included a school resource person checking for homeless students, Madras Gospel Mission personnel taking counts, and a person tallying the homeless in Warm Springs.
"This was the very first time we've been able to do a count in Warm Springs. We had a volunteer counting and handing out supplies there," Chamberlain said.
Individuals and families counted include people living in weekly motels, shelters, transitional housing, "doubled up" with other families, camping or sleeping in cars, or other places not designed for long-term human habitation.
With the data, local agencies and programs are able to qualify for increased funding, better target support services, and develop comprehensive plans to address poverty and homelessness in Central Oregon.
The official homeless count figures won't be released by NeighborImpact until April for the tri-county area, but Chamberlain thinks the inclusion of Warm Springs will make a difference for Jefferson County's count.
"I have a hunch the numbers will be bigger than the last couple of years," he said.
