“I feel safe. I feel like I’m in luxury”: New shelter opens in former motel in The Dalles

KATU explores The Annex, a shelter and transitional housing complex situated in a former motel in The Dalles - KATU

by Angelica Thornton

Tue, January 23rd 2024

THE DALLES, Ore. — It's tough for Nina Jarl to talk about what she was dealing with a year ago, right after the holidays, when so many of the trapdoors that lead to homelessness opened up and sucked her in.

"I've never been homeless. I've always had my own place. It's just been a rough year," said Jarl.

The 63-year-old was struggling after her husband died by suicide. Then, she had a stroke.

"I was renting a room off a trailer, and when I got sick, I couldn't work. So, I couldn't pay my rent," said Jarl.

Jarl lived in her car for a few weeks before she got help when she wasn't even looking for it. A social worker found her and got her into a pallet shelter in The Dalles. A few months later, she got a spot at The Annex.

"I feel safe. I feel like I'm in luxury," said Jarl.

I've got a bathroom right here. I don't have to walk outside, and I just feel safe. And the people are wonderful.

The Annex opened in October after the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council converted an old motel into a transitional housing and shelter. Kenny LaPoint is the Executive Director of the MCCAC, a private non-profit serving Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties.

"Everything from the roof to the ground we're standing on is brand new," said LaPoint.

We met LaPoint in October when The Annex opened, with one side for individuals and the other for couples and families.

"This environment allows us to case-manage folks, allows us to provide other services so we can end homelessness," said LaPoint. "Our goal is to get folks into permanent housing when they come here."

When we visited again in December, we saw proof that it was working quickly. Shayna Spink, a mother of two, was just moving out of her unit. She and her husband both work, but like so many Americans, they were living one missed paycheck away from poverty.

"I lived in my home for seven years. It was my first time ever being late on my rent, and I was kicked out within 30 days. It was very hard," said Spink.

Spink and her husband slept in their car. The kids stayed with family. Then they got into The Annex and were almost immediately placed into permanent housing.

"It’s very overwhelming, but it's amazing," said Spink.

I feel home. I feel like a family again.

We checked back in with LaPoint a few months after The Annex opened.

"For some people, just a little bit of stability goes a long way, and they can get moved on pretty quickly," said LaPoint.

Seventy people are now living at The Annex. There's room for 80, but hiring has been a hurdle. Even at full capacity, LaPoint says The Annex isn't enough.

"This changed the shelter game," said LaPoint.

We need more facilities like this that provide a dignifying living environment for people, where they have their own independence in their room.

LaPoint is the former Director of Public Affairs for Oregon Housing and Community Services, so he's had a first-hand look at how the homeless crisis is playing out across the state. He tells KATU there are unique challenges in The Columbia River Gorge, a national scenic area with more constraints on affordable housing development. Outreach workers are also seeing an increase in substance use disorders and mental health conditions.

"There's a population of folks out there that aren't willing to let go of that living environment for themselves right now," said LaPoint. "And we can't change that for them. They have to make that change themselves."

But LaPoint says they're plugging away at the problems they can tackle, which construction well underway for The Gloria Center. The navigation center will serve as a one-stop shop for people experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, or poverty, a lifeline for people like Nina Jarl. She doesn't know how long she'll live at The Annex but hopes to get a job and find her own place again.

For now, she's grateful to have a roof over her head.

"This place has been a savior. It's really nice to be here. Really nice," said Jarl. "I don't know what I'd do if they wouldn't have come and got me."

More information on:

The Annex: www.mccac.com/the-annex

The Gloria Center: www.mccac.com/gloria-center