Some guests lie in bunks beds that line the room. Others chat with the volunteers on duty. Many of them keep to themselves.
It was just after lunch in the rescue shelter at the Eugene Mission, a religious nonprofit located the Whiteaker neighborhood.
The Mission provides service for people experiencing homelessness. But since the pandemic, it's begun seeing clients arrive in far worse conditions than they did before, according to its Executive Director, Sheryl Balthrop.
“High levels of depression, high levels of isolation, mental illness," said Balthrop. "And of course, addiction to even more intractable substances such as fentanyl,"
Balthrop said getting some guests to a stable place can take time—longer, she said, than the length of some services that are covered by insurance. Today, she said the Mission is doing its best to help.
In the shelter
The rescue shelter is the first stop for many unhoused people looking to use the Mission's services.
A person can stay there for up to two weeks at a time. They get a place to sleep and three meals a day.
Balthrop said the clients who come there often have no other resources left to lean on.
“They have already gone through the series of dominoes that fall: the loss of job, loss of relationships, loss of health," she said. "And it's been this downward situation that causes hopelessness.”
Marcie Gutierrez, lead volunteer in the rescue shelter, said many of the guests just need someone to listen.
"They want to be heard," said Gutierrez. "Maybe they've never been heard in their whole entire lives."
At the same time, Gutierrez said the volunteers try to encourage guests to take the next steps towards long-term stability, by applying to be part of one of the Mission’s programs.
“We're planting that seed. Even if they go out the back gate, they've got that seed in their head that they can come back in six months and try again," said Gutierrez. "They could go into the program, and they can change their lives forever.”
The Mission gives guests two options to extend their stay past 14 days.
One is the Life Change program, which focuses on preventing relapses, and more strongly features religion in its curriculum.
Alternatively, guests can apply for the Rescue, Revitalize, Restore program—or R3—which centers on job training and life skills.
Catching your breath
In the kitchen, a guest named Lars cleans up after helping serve the day’s lunch. He declined to give KLCC his last name due to his housing status.
Lars said he became homeless after a battle with cancer bankrupted him. He came to the Eugene Mission last fall, because he was worried the winter weather would further harm his health.
“On the streets, it's tough for you, physically, mentally, spiritually," said Lars. "I got robbed, messed up my body, sleeping on cold benches.”
Now sheltered, Lars said he’s searching for work that’s within his physical ability. Once he’s back on his feet, he said he plans to return to school.
But for now, Lars said the Mission has given him time to catch his breath.
“They want you to be stable," said Lars. "They're very smart about taking their time and wanting you to just not overdo it.”
Nearby, guests work silently in a journaling class offered by the R3 programs. The course is one of several that Mission volunteers lead, alongside guitar lessons, crochet, and more.
Mission guest Craig DeCelles said he chose journaling so he can share his life story with his children.
“I've got about five of these books filled up, and it goes back and forth and with my life," said DeCelles. "I stop when I start getting really emotional on something, then I could go do a puzzle and then start all over again.”
DeCelles said his exit from the Mission has been delayed due to medical issues. But he said he's been inspired by the people around him working to better themselves.
"I get my hips done, go to work and get my children—they're with their grandmother right now in California," said DeCelles. "Everything's fine. Back to work. COVID's over."
More than a meal
The Eugene Mission is funded through private donations, and staffed by hundreds of volunteers. According to Balthrop, it averages around 250 guests at a time.
Balthrop said the nonprofit tries to provide a holistic experience for its guests, with community building sessions and career coaches.
She said it’s not enough to give a person a sandwich, and send them on their way.
"The number one limitation we have is still the broader community not understanding the role of the Mission, still seeing us as the older version that basically is not helping people get better," said Balthrop. "And we really want the community to know that we are a resource. We are a partner serving on that continuum of options. “
Balthrop said the demographics that the Mission serves has changed since the pandemic. Today, she said it sees more guests who are older—and therefore, who need more help finding a new purpose than a new career.
Meanwhile, Balthrop said she's observed that some people with disabilities are falling through the cracks of other public services.
According to Lane County’s most recently released Point-in-Time Count, the number of homeless people recorded in the county continued to rise last year.
Meanwhile, Eugene has seen reductions in several social services over the past year. This includes the shuttering of the White Bird Clinic's Front Rooms, and the Hourglass Community Crisis Center. And this month, CAHOOTS discontinued its mobile crisis service in Eugene.
Balthrop said she expects more shifts around homelessness in Eugene in the future. She hopes the Mission will be able to help fill those gaps.
