Here are a variety of resources where you can gain the knowledge you need.

We have categorized the resources, but sometimes these categories overlap. If you don’t find what you are looking for in one, you may find it in another. You may also find the same resource in more than one category.

Housing First Umpqua (HFU) provides a variety of resources where you can learn from the experts about the causes, barriers, and solutions to homelessness. HFU not only operates on the belief that everyone has a right to decent, safe, affordable housing and humane treatment; we are led by evidence-based practices. Here you can find the information we used to come to our analysis and recommendations regarding our current homeless problems.

Experts

Housing First Umpqua has sourced locations in the Umpqua Valley for affordable housing, as well as homeless and other support services. HFU provides this information to directly help people who are experiencing homelessness. This includes links to resources provided by other places available online. If you are homeless or know someone who is, this is where you can find information about accessing housing and income, as well as homeless and other support services provided by HFU and others in the community.

Defender Organizations listed here may or may not have attorneys. Some are non-profit law firms, and some, like Housing First Umpqua, are action-oriented organizations that use a variety of ways to do advocacy on behalf of the homeless. and cannot provide legal advice or represent anyone in a court of law.

Lastly, we provide information about who the decision makers are and how to contact them. Although there are solutions for this problem, we need our decisions makers to change laws and policies to make them happen. Many levels of government play a role. There is really only so much we as members of the community can do without the support of those making policies. However, the good news is that elected and other government officials can be persuaded by the people that they serve, which is us. So, we can do a lot to make change at every level. The Decision Makers category provides you information about who they are, what they can do and how to contact them.  

We offer information about government and other entities that are involved in addressing homelessness and/or provide services among special populations, like those in the criminal justice system, people with mental health issues and those with substance abuse issues.

We offer a variety of fact-based information from local, state and national organizations. These include things like the HUD "Point in Time" count report that tracks people who are homeless in our community, as well as the local UCAN report, and the City of Roseburg’s 2019 Report on Homelessness.

Our resource page is ever evolving, so check back periodically to make sure you have access to current information.

“The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness leads the national effort to prevent and end homelessness in America. We drive action among our 19 federal member agencies and foster partnerships at every level of government and with the private sector.” They were established in the 1980s and have existed through both Democratic and Republican administrations. In fact, it was George W Bush who had incorporated the Housing First recommendations into public policy.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development is the main government agency that exists  to address national housing needs, as well as homelessness. They fund and oversee federal housing programs like traditional public housing and the Section 8 Voucher program. HUD also oversees the distribution of homeless services funds that assist the general population under the structure of Continuum of Care organizations, such as UCAN here in Douglas County.

The US Department of Justice plays a variety of roles, one is to ensure that the civil rights of our citizens are protected. In 2015, the US DOJ filed a brief in support of the position that criminalizing homelessness violates the rights of our homeless citizens.  

     They are the chief law enforcement entity in the country, with the FBI under their jurisdiction, providing guidance regarding best practices for crime prevention and intervention. They do not support the continued efforts of local law enforcement to criminalize homelessness. Many local law enforcement officials ignore their recommendations, which are based on best practices and not prejudice.

“By bringing together some of the fiercest organizations fighting homelessness on the West Coast, WRAP has developed a unique structure that combines street outreach, movement building, and national policy work, helping us bridge the local-national divisions that have hampered homeless advocacy for the last three decades.”

Housing First Umpqua is your local expert in the issue of affordable housing and homelessness. Our founders have decades of experience with research and advocacy around these two issues and what impacts them. We have experience in direct individual advocacy around services that one who is homeless may need, as well as systemic advocacy to address the fundamental problems within an agency or harmful law. What HFU does not know, we can help you find out.

“The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To end and prevent homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected.”

“The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., and is the only national legal group dedicated to ending and preventing homelessness. We operate programs across the United States that serve America’s more than 3.5 million homeless families, children and individuals."

"The National Housing Law Project was founded as a support center to assist the newly formed legal services organizations. We continue to play that role, providing technical assistance and training to legal aid attorneys and co-counseling on key litigation. We now also operate more broadly, working with organizers and other advocacy and service organizations to achieve our mission."

Available rental locations in Douglas County:

HADCO is our only public housing authority (PHA).  Sometimes referred to or called HUD, HADCO is not HUD but operates special HUD financed programs. This includes traditional public housing and the Section 8 voucher program, as well as some other programs funded by HUD.

HADCO is the only low-income housing agency in Douglas County that allows an applicant to be placed on a housing waiting list. Unfortunately, this is only provided for those who are interested in renting traditional public housing, or in the Section 8 voucher program.

Available rental locations in Douglas County:

Neighbor Works Umpqua is a local community development organization. It is a private non-profit corporation that has a subsidiary: Umpqua Community Property Management (UCPM). Through UCPM, NWU manages various

residential rental property locations they own. They use taxpayer dollars to develop and operate “affordable” housing in Douglas County. They have a variety of units that meet different “affordability” standards. Some charge rent at 30% of one’s household income, others do not.

United Community Action Network (UCAN) has 92 units of “affordable” housing in Douglas County. The have housing in Roseburg, as well as Green, Winston, Sutherlin, Drain, and Canyonville. Rent is usually less than at most other places in the regular rental market, but is not based on your income. UCAN offers some “specialty” housing for special populations. Contact them too see if you qualify. You can check out the link below for an application.

Homeless Services

Here are organizations in our community who specifically address the needs of people who are homeless.

Besides providing “affordable” housing, United Community Action Network (UCAN) also provides homeless services. These help people who are at risk of being homeless and those who are already homeless. Depending on funding and the specific program, UCAN’s homeless services can help you pay for rent until you have an income or other rental assistance. This program also has other help but may not always be available as funding runs out. UCAN’s Homeless Outreach program is currently located at Mill Street in Roseburg.

The Roseburg Dream Center provides a variety of help to help meet the basic needs of people living outside. They operate a drop-in center from 9 am to 1:30 pm Monday through Thursday where anyone can get out of the weather, have a meal, get clothing and other supplies.

Their Warming Center operates from Nov 15th to March 31st, on nights when the temperature is 30-degrees or 32-degrees and snowing. Guests can spend the night and get out of the elements, while enjoying dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch. People can also get clothing, as well as some other basic necessities when available. This is the only Warming Center in Douglas County at this time.

Under the Bridge volunteers go where our homeless neighbors are, to provide them sack lunches, clothing, hygiene kits, rain gear, tents and other basic survival supplies. This service is provided every 1st and 3rd Saturday. Volunteers meet at 9 am at the Dream Center to go out in teams, and offer their help.

Food Pantries and Kitchens are often the only source of food for our homeless neighbors. Here is a link to both programs:

WRAP has become an expert in the history of how public policy has created our affordable housing crisis, as well as grassroots organizing and advocacy. Their "Without Housing" is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the problem. Their extensive resources make them an activists' go to place. They even have an organizers manual.

There are too few meal sites in Roseburg. Besides the Roseburg Rescue Mission, there are only a couple of other places where someone can get a meal. It should be noted that none feed every day of the week, and none provide more than one meal per day.

There is no place for anyone to get a meal besides the Rescue Mission on Friday or Saturday, or the 1st Sunday of the month.

Note: The Roseburg Rescue Mission has policies and operations that create a barrier for many of our homeless neighbors from accessing their help. People can be banned and not able to get food there. So, it is not a reliable source of food, shelter or services for those in our community who find themselves homeless.

HFU and other advocacy organizations may be able to assist someone who is homeless exercise their rights under certain government programs, as long as it is allowed by law and does not involve taking a matter to court. However most such advocacy from HFU and others is about systemic public policy changes. We do this through our appointed or elected public officials because these are the folks who can make real systemic change for everyone.

Here is an example:

HFU supports a Homeless Bill of Rights for the state of Oregon. This would require the state legislature to pass a law and the governor to sign it. Such a law would recognize a person’s right to rest, sleep, sit, etc in public places, when they have no other place to do these simple acts of living. It would stop cities, like Roseburg, from having local laws being used against the homeless, like the Prohibited Camping law.

Unfortunately, one is not entitled to an attorney for free, unless one is charged with a crime and cannot afford to pay for a lawyer. Although Legal Aid and other non-profit law firms may help with certain issues when one is homeless, they are limited in what they can do.

However, Legal Aid and other such firms can help with civil matters facing homeless people.

Just recently, our local Legal Aid helped a person who was homeless when the city of Roseburg illegally confiscated his belongs and did not return them. The city was forced to rewrite some policies, while also paying for the possessions he lost, and some attorney's fees for his lawyers.

This help can bring about change for some systemic problems, as well as compensate the victim of city misconduct.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon is an advocacy organizing that is defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights. They fight for a variety of rights, including the rights of those who live without permanent shelter.

Their report, "Decriminalizing Homelessness", tracks the number of anti-homeless ordinances in Oregon, as well as the adverse impact they have on our neighbors and communities.

The ACLU may assist in violations of civil liberties and constitutional rights. They produce an informational brochure, "Know Your Rights". They also have a smart-phone app you can download, to record encounters with police and other officials enforcing laws.

ACLU Oregon also advocates for public policies to protect our rights, like Oregon Senate Bill 424, that will require law enforcement agencies to establish policies regarding how they interact with persons with potential mental health issues.

Umpqua Valley Public Defenders

If you are charged with a crime, you have the right to an attorney that you don’t have to pay for if you cannot afford to do so. This requires the charge to be at least a misdemeanor or felony for you to get a free lawyer. Lawyers who do this are called public defenders or court appointed counsel. Your attorney may be a lawyer in private practice or one from the local non-profit law firm Umpqua Valley Public Defenders. We list only info about UVPD here.

If you are charged with a crime, the court will help you access your free lawyer. You will have to apply to have a free lawyer. When approved, you will be told who the lawyer is. It can be a lawyer with UVPD or one in private practice. Sometimes you may get an attorney who is out of town.

Besides providing attorneys for people charged with a crime, UVPD has resource information to help you better understand your rights:

The Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) is a non-profit law firm in Eugene that provides support to homeless people, and to a variety of advocates. They have brochures and hold trainings which disseminates information about a variety of rights people have when working for equal access and social justice issues.

Legal Services of Oregon (LSO) is more commonly referred to as Legal Aid. It does have lawyers that can assist you in certain civil legal matters. Since you are not entitled by law to have a lawyer for anything less than being charged with a crime, Legal Aid does not have the resources to help with everything or everyone.  

What they can actually do to help people who are homeless is even more limited, but they can help with certain things. The Roseburg office provides assistance in situations involving discrimination, protection from abuse, housing/landlord tenant law, public benefits, disabilities, expungements, family law, and senior issues.

Housing First Umpqua is dedicated to the constitutional and humane treatment of our homeless neighbors. We provide information about other Defender Organizations, as well as some resources about how, if you are homeless, you can defend your own rights. If you are not homeless, HFU provides access to resources that can show you how you can defend the rights of others.

Housing First Umpqua does not have attorneys. We cannot advise you about your particular situation regarding charges against you. What we can do is provide general information about everyone’s rights and how to exercise them. Such general information is not legal advice. If you need legal advice, you must seek the assistance of an attorney. If you have any charges against you, including just a ticket, we encourage you to get legal advice from an attorney, if you can.

Housing First Umpqua can help you exercise your rights in certain cases, like getting disability benefits and services, as well as certain publicly supported housing, and other government benefits, when the law allows. However, these situations never involve a crime, or other matters that are before a court.