Homeless Outreach Project
Our Mission Recognizing the “inherent worth and dignity of every person,” the Homeless Outreach Project brings awareness of the homelessness crisis to our congregation and creates opportunities to help our unhoused neighbors.
Our Work In partnership with local agencies, the committee provides financial, in-kind, and hands-on support for disadvantaged members of our community. This includes support to REACH, which provides case management to those living outdoors. Committee members prepare and serve meals at Family Kitchen as well as the Bethlehem Inn shelter. The Homeless Outreach Project also supports Safe Parking at UUFCO so that a few homeless households have a safe place to park.
Our History and Impact UUFCO actively began its work on homelessness in 2019 in helping establish REACH, which works with 500-600 individuals per month. Hundreds of meals are prepared and served monthly by members of our congregation working at Family Kitchen. And in 2022, Safe Parking was established at UUFCO.
How To Get Involved
The needs of the unhoused people in our community are both complex and growing each year. The Homeless Outreach Project is just a piece of an overall community effort to provide services and housing to the people who are unhoused in Central Oregon. Below are some of the ways that you can join members and friends of UUFCO in supporting homeless individuals in our community.
The Homeless Outreach Project (HOP) at UUFCO meets every six weeks and welcome all individuals that are interested in helping our unhoused neighbors. The opportunities are numerous and all ages welcome. Meetings are publicized in the All Congregational Email (ACE) and on the church calendar.
“There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.”
— Jan Schakowsky
REACH, a local non-profit which provides mobile outreach and case management to our unhoused community, is coordinated via the HOP meetings. At these meetings, Stacey Witte, founder and executive director of REACH, provides a comprehensive update on homelessness in central Oregon, in addition to sharing any critical needs that our Church can help meet. This includes direct financial support through UUFCO’s Social Justice budget and, as requested, the congregation collections donations for REACH. In the past, these have included warm clothing, gift cards, backpacks, hygiene items, and emergency food kits, the latter especially helpful during camp “sweeps” and during the heat wave of 2021.
One of the most rewarding activities to consider is preparing and serving meals at Family Kitchen. This is a great way for adults and children, too, to help our unhoused neighbors. Cooks, servers and dishwashers are always needed. UUFCO regularly handles dinner on the 1st Friday of the month and lunch on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. You can find out more about this by writing to us, by stopping our table during Coffee Hour, or signing up for other meal shifts at Family Kitchen Signups.
Members of the Homeless Outreach team support a related Social Justice effort at UUFCO, Bethlehem Inn. Lodging and meals are provided to unhoused individuals and families at both the Bend and Redmond locations, and UUFCO members and friends prepare and serve dinner once a month at both locations. For information on assisting at the Bend location on the 4th Thursday of the month, see Bethlehem Inn Dinners at UUFCO.
