Community Supported Shelters June 2014 Update

June 1, 2014

CSS is a newly formed organization, but we have been involved for four years in developing and cooperating with others to build micro-housing for individuals seeking a downsized lifestyle. (Click Here to See the Icosa Hut). We were very focused on using as much reused materials for our shelters. Over time, we saw the need to also build for efficiency, simplicity, and movability if we were going to build a structure that would serve as a form of relief housing.

We began developing the Conestoga Hut during the Occupy movement in Eugene. Some people from the encampment between 6th and 7th avenues were concerned about a single mom and her child there who were struggling to get warm and dry. They asked us if we could build anything to help them. It took about a day to construct and set up a Hut for her, using materials we had stored at our shop. It was a very basic structure that doesn’t resemble what the Conestoga Hut is today, but the concept is basically the same.


Taking what we learned from the first Hut we built the second prototype behind our shop. This one resembled much more what the Conestoga Hut has become. We implemented a built-in floor platform, an overhang as a small porch area, a small door, and some other new features. Our family of three tested it out by sleeping in it for nearly six months during winter and spring of 2012.

The third prototype was a collaboration between Opportunity Village Eugene and CSS, which we put on wheels to reveal to the Eugene City Council in late 2012. That really helped move things forward for the Huts. Working with OVE, we have placed eight Huts at three Eugene churches, and one Hut at a non-profit site. We are also placing another two Huts at a Church off Coburg Road in early June.

So far so good. It seems like the Huts are giving a few people a bit more stability in their lives, which has been our hope. The most difficult part has been finding sites to place them in the community. It is our experience that churches are the best kind of site to host the Huts because of the community that is inherently on-site. People do better with a shelter plus community, rather than just a shelter and no community influence. We think as church congregations see other churches having success with the project it could inspire them to give it a try. CSS is preparing to make presentations at interested churches about what we’ve learned from recent projects to help us successfully serve those in need. If you know of any potential church sites, please encourage church leaders to contact us.


Lastly, the Conestoga Huts are community-supported shelters! This is true from how they developed to how they are still developing. After CSS got great coverage from the local media, several commercial contractors and individuals have contacted us and offered to help bring the quality up another notch, so we are more prepared for next winter. In the next issue of our email newsletter we hope to show you the upgrades that are in the works.

Sincerely,


Erik de Buhr
Program Director

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If you are a member of the media who is seeking information or would like to request an interview, contact community@cssoregon.org.


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A Driver’s License Can Alter Lives

January 22, 2025
Soon after Mark moved into the Skinner Safe Spot Community in 2022 he got a CSS staff job on the maintenance crew. He worked 10–12 hours a week, and his primary responsibility was cleaning up Huts when clients moved out, preparing them for the next occupants. He didn’t have a driver’s license. He had one “many years ago” in California before he became homeless, but then he didn’t have a vehicle and he let his license lapse. He had never had a license in Oregon, where he moved in 2014. So for the maintenance job, he says, “I would commute by way of my bicycle. I carried all the cleaning products and brooms and mops and whatever I needed on my bicycle.” Things went well, and when the maintenance crew was reorganized about six months later, he was offered a new position, at 30 hours a week, in which he would be the primary maintenance person for three communities. It required he drive a CSS vehicle, so the offer was contingent on him having a driver’s license. “My supervisor at the time told me that CSS

Breaking The Cycle: Fostering Financial Literacy

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A CSS Yurt on a rainy cold December afternoon in West Eugene may not be a place you would expect to find two Eugene area bank branch managers enrolling new depositors. Even more remarkable is the effort and journey that brought them there. The story begins earlier this year when Downtown Eugene KeyBank Branch Manager Michelle Khanthanhot reached out to Blake Burrell, CSS Director of Community Impact. What ensued is a focused grassroots effort by Michelle and another KeyBank Eugene Branch Manager Jose Contreras to educate the CSS community about financial health and planning. “For KeyBank it is important that we are involved in our community,” says Michelle. “Blake and I connected and it has just kind of evolved in the last 6 months.”

Grants That Create Pathways to Stability, Creativity, and Community

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Community Supported Shelters is thrilled to share news of the incredible support we received from our community partners in 2024. These grants have allowed us to expand our programs, enhance our services, and make a meaningful difference for the individuals we serve. Here are the highlights:

Family Reunites and Forges a New Beginning

January 14, 2025
Robert hadn’t seen his brother Dan in 17 years. “I’ve been looking for him. I hadn’t had any luck and, honestly, I didn’t think he was still around.” But when Robert moved from one CSS community to the Micro-Mission Community in mid-September, he saw a face he knew. “Oh my God, it’s my long lost brother,” he said. And they gave each other a big bear hug. Dan, 56, has been in CSS Safe Spots for two years and Robert, 59, about a year. Eugene natives, they have both dealt with many difficult challenges. But, thanks to CSS, they have been reunited in a safe place and will help each other build more stable lives. “It was meant to be,” Dan says.

CSS Leadership Team Advocates for Alternative Shelter Models at National Conference in Washington, D.C.

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This past summer, the leadership team at Community Supported Shelters took a powerful step forward in advocating for alternative shelter solutions by attending the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) conference in Washington, D.C. The team joined thousands of advocates, policymakers, and service providers nationwide to share best practices, exchange ideas, and drive critical discussions on addressing homelessness with innovative, community-centered approaches.

Access Center Expands Services

October 31, 2024
The last time Shaggy (given name Steve) got a haircut was right before he moved into the CSS Lot 9 Community about two years ago. His hair was long and he’d been sleeping under the Harlow Street Bridge between Eugene and Springfield and he wanted to make sure he didn’t bring any lice or other parasites into the community. He shaved it all off.

HIV Alliance Brings Testing and Education to CSS Communities

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Since August, residents of the 14 CSS Communities in Eugene have seen a white van and new faces arrive on site during Tuesday group meetings. HIV Alliance is a Eugene-based nonprofit focused on supporting people with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted diseases—and actively promoting prevention through testing and education.

Empowering Voices: Homeless Not Voteless

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In partnership with The League of Women Voters of Lane County (LWVLC), CSS is making significant strides in expanding voter registration outreach to unhoused individuals in our community. Historically, unhoused individuals have faced numerous barriers to voter registration and participation including lack of a permanent address, identification issues, lack of information on candidates and issues, and limited access to information about the voting process.

Art Partnership Celebrates Community

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On Friday, August 2, 2024, art created by CSS community members and staff will be featured on Eugene’s First Friday Art Walk in an exhibition titled “Community is Key” at the Oregon Supported Living Programs Arts and Culture Center (110 East 11th Avenue, Eugene). The exhibition, which opened on the First Friday Art Walk on July 5, is the culmination of a partnership between CSS and OSLP that began almost magically on a rainy day last Fall.

Director's Letter: Shared Leadership

July 22, 2024
We are delighted to bring you the Summer edition of our shelter program's newsletter. A special welcome to our new friends from the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference in D.C. For those receiving our newsletter for the first time, our mission is to support the unhoused in rebuilding their lives through intentional community. We seek to provide not only a safe haven for those experiencing homelessness but also a nurturing community that fosters growth, dignity, and hope.
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