The Annex Celebrates Opening, Moves in First Families

By Alana Lackner, Columbia Gorge News

THE DALLES — On Oct. 12, Mid-Columbia Community Action Council celebrated the opening of The Annex, a new transitional shelter that will not only replace the current pallet shelter, but will also serve as the first shelter in the Gorge offered to houseless families.

The Annex has 54 rooms, split into two buildings. One building, “the east Annex,” is a two story building with 39 rooms. It will house single individuals and couples. The other side of The Annex has 15 rooms, which are reserved for families.

According to MCCAC Executive Director Kenny LaPoint, MCCAC moved in 17 households into the east Annex on Aug. 28, and in the first week of October, they were able to transition their first Annex client into permanent housing.

“That is the goal here,” LaPoint said. “Anyone who comes in here, the goal is to stabilize and help transition them into permanent housing.”

LaPoint said MCCAC officially moved their first families into the Annex during the weekend of Oct. 7.

The Annex is located at 200 W. Second St. in The Dalles, the former site of the Oregon Motor Motel, which MCCAC purchased in February of this year with funds from Project Turnkey 2.0, a statewide program that gives communities resources to buy hotels and motels and turn them into shelters. MCCAC received a grant of $4.27 million through the project.

According to Jill Smith, director of housing stabilization with Oregon Housing and Community Services, there are more than 30 Project Turnkey sites across the state.

“This investment has a significant impact on houselessness across our state. It’s really making a difference,” Smith said. “This program has impacted 18 counties. There’s 18 counties because of Project Turnkey that now have a safe shelter and home for people that didn’t otherwise have that.”

MCCAC initially applied for the Project Turnkey grant in the summer of 2022 and was awarded the funds through a partnership of the Oregon Community Foundation. They finalized the purchase of the Oregon Motor Motel in February, and began renovations on the building immediately after.

According to LaPoint, the renovations were badly needed and included replacing both roofs. Other additions included new paint, both exterior and interior, new stucco, new windows, new railings, new flooring, new plumbing, new bathrooms, new electrical systems and “everything in between,” LaPoint said.

“Let me tell you, if you haven’t seen it before, this place needed it,” LaPoint said at the opening. “There were points during the renovation when we scratched our heads and questioned how this place was even operating.”

LaPoint explained that before the purchase, MCCAC had actually used the Oregon Motor Motel as a family shelter through a voucher system, but it was limited to a few days at a time, rather than the six-month limit that exists now. Additionally, the poor shape the building was in often negatively affected those who stayed there.

“We’re happy to have improved the living environments here and created a place that instills dignity into people,” he said.

According to LaPoint, the shelter also has many amenities, with a community laundry space, a library with a computer lab and case management offices. There will also be a food pantry on site. Though there is not currently a communal space to cook, the shelter offers one hot meal a day and each room has a microwave and mini-fridge.

The Annex is staffed around the clock 365 days a year, including two on-site resident managers and overnight security. It serves formerly houseless and housing-unstable community members in MCCAC’s three-county service region of Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties.

The Annex also provides services through many of their partners, such as Mid-Columbia Center for Living, The Next Door and Nch’I Wana Housing. Each agency will provide on-site services to those staying at The Annex as MCCAC works to transition clients into permanent housing.

“We at MCCAC believe in our clients’ ability to succeed,” LaPoint said. “We have hope that we can build a better future for our community and housing stability is at the core of that. We are proud and excited to bring The Annex online and to bring the stability that many need and the hope for the future that they need.”

To learn more about MCCAC and their mission, visit mccac.com.