In March, the former Red Lion Hotel on Broadway St. opened its doors to survivors of the Holiday Farm Fire, providing temporary housing for nearly 100 people including 35 children and 28 pets. Lane County purchased the property with a $5.56 million grant provided through Project Turnkey, an allocation of funds by the Oregon Legislature designed to help local governments acquire hotels as shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
“The Red Lion location is an important part of our strategy to support wildfire recovery,” Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge said. “It allows people who remain unsheltered after losing their homes in the Holiday Farm Fire and provides stability so that they can plan their next steps and access resources to assist them.”
When the devastating Holiday Farm Fire hit in September, over 400 people lost their homes. In November, the Oregon Legislature allocated $65 million to Project Turnkey, $30 million of which was to support wildfire survivors specifically.
Through this project, local government entities and non-profits are given grants to acquire hotels for use as non-congregate shelter. There are currently 49 shelters like these housing 1,213 wildfire survivors across Oregon.
With one of the first grants awarded by Project Turnkey, Lane County acquired the Red Lion hotel in February, and residents were able to move in the following month. Hotel and motel sales are hard to come by in Lane County, so commissioners were lucky to find this property, Ashbridge said.
“It’s located near other services, transportation and agencies providing wildfire survivor support, which made it an attractive option for Lane County,” he said.
Homes for Good, a local housing agency, manages the property. They’re contracted by Lane County to handle day-to-day operations at the hotel, employing a property manager and front desk staff. As of April, the hotel houses 96 residents, but there is a much higher demand than they can accommodate, Homes for Good spokesperson Ela Kubok said.
“The Oregon Department of Human Services has about 35 families who need additional temporary housing, and we will not be able to serve all of them at once, but as folks exit to permanent housing we can continue to accept households in need of temporary placement,” she said.
Many wildfire survivors spent the fall and winter months either homeless or shuffling between different hotels, and this new development gives them a sense of stability while they work out long-term housing plans, Ashbridge said.
“The residents of the building have reported appreciating that stability and the sense of community that comes with being housed alongside their neighbors and others who have experienced the same loss and are working to overcome the same challenges,” he said.
Once the hotel is no longer needed to support fire survivors, Lane County will transition it into a Permanent Supportive Housing facility.
“Fire survivors will continue to be sheltered here until they are able to make and implement their long-term housing plan, whether that is rebuilding, a new rental in the area, moving out of the area or something else,” Ashbridge said.
There is no set timeline for when all residents should be moved out, but Homes for Good is expecting the facility to become permanent housing in around 24 months.
Other communities including Ashland, Medford, Klamath Falls, Corvallis, Lincoln City and Pendelton have received grants from Project Turnkey, opening their own shelter facilities. The Oregon Legislature requires that all of the funds be used by the end of June 2021, and their team is planning on completing 10 to 12 more projects by that date.
