Spring 2025: Letter from the Director of Philanthropy

Dear Friends of Community Supported Shelters,


Spring is a season of renewal—and at Community Supported Shelters, it’s arriving alongside some significant and hopeful changes. I’m writing today to share updates about our growth as an organization, exciting developments in local policy, and a special event we hope you'll join us for.


Over the last few months, our friends at Nightingale Hosted Shelters have been engaged in a period of reflection and evolution. In January, they formed a Futures Committee to chart the next chapter of their important work. After thoughtful conversations and collaboration with the City of Eugene’s Homeless Services Team, that Committee recommended a major step forward: that Community Supported Shelters become Nightingale’s new site operator.


We’re honored by this trust and thrilled to step into this role. While there are still details to finalize, our shared commitment to human dignity, community wellness, and the needs of our unhoused neighbors form the foundation of this partnership. Nightingale has long been a critical part of Eugene’s sheltering landscape, and we are committed to nurturing their legacy while continuing to build sustainable, compassionate solutions to homelessness together. You can find more information and FAQs about this transition on Nightingale’s social media, and we’ll continue to share updates as they unfold.


Meanwhile, at the state level, we're keeping a close eye on Oregon House Bill 3644, a piece of legislation that has the potential to deeply impact the landscape of shelter and transitional housing across Oregon. The bill is focused on clarifying land use laws that affect shelter development—a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to expanding services like ours. We are hopeful that HB 3644 will help reduce barriers and open doors for innovative, community-led shelter solutions across the state.


And finally, we are excited to invite you to our upcoming CommuniTea event! This is more than just a gathering—it’s a celebration of the people who power our mission. We’ll sip tea, eat brunch, share stories, honor our volunteers and supporters, and offer a space for connection and community. Details are included in this newsletter, and we can’t wait to see you there.


As always, thank you for walking alongside us. Whether you’re a donor, a volunteer, a neighbor, or someone whose life has been touched by our shelter program, you are part of this community—and together, we are building something powerful and enduring.


In gratitude and solidarity,

Heather Quaas-Annsa 
Director of Philanthropy, Community Supported Shelters

News & Events

To stay connected and learn about upcoming events, subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.


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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Workforce Development: Creating Paths to Employment

April 15, 2025
In a September 2023 interview, Sabrina, who had been in a CSS Hut for about two years, said, “It's been well over 10 years since I've had a job, because my drug habit has caused me to be homeless.”

Staff Spotlight: “To Give Back Is Super Big for Me" —Harley

April 13, 2025
If you have the opportunity to meet Harley and discuss her job at CSS as a Community Facilitator, you will be impressed. She is confident, thoughtful, and compassionate about the work she does to improve the lives of her clients and help move them on a path to sustainability. But you have the feeling there is something else. And when you learn about her story you understand there is more. Way more.

Volunteer Spotlight: Crystal, Supporting Access

April 12, 2025
Meet Crystal, one of our newest CSS volunteers. Crystal has quickly become a welcoming presence at our Access Center, generously donating her time once a week to support staff and clients with a smile.

Donor Spotlight: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

April 11, 2025
Little by little for ten months, St. Mary's Episcopal Church Congregation collected cans and bottles. And now, those small BottleDrop deposits have provided a big return: shelter for the unhoused. Recently, St. Mary's donated $3,000 to CSS and adopted their FOURTH Conestoga Hut! St. Mary’s has been a long-time supporter of CSS. They hosted our first ever Annual Celebration back in 2014. We’re beyond grateful for their decade of support!

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

January 21, 2025
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

January 20, 2025
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.

November 1, 2024
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.
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