Central Oregon Homelessness Forum 2026 Report

by Teresa Jackson, Melissa Blackett, Ginny McKee

The following is a report written by Teresa Jackson for Mountain View Community Development. It's a great summary of the event.

It was great to meet so many of you at the Understanding Homelessness in Central Oregon Forum put on by the Central Oregon Homelessness Alliance on March 3.

Our board president Melissa Blackett, in her work with COHA, kicked off the night. Carly Conger and John Lodise explained the work of the Homeless Leadership Coalition.

And then our executive director, Rick Russell, facilitated a conversation around homelessness in our region. We heard from Brandi, who now works for Ideal Option and was unhoused, living in an RV in the woods in La Pine. She got sober, saved money, and is now in a place of her own.

Dr. Josh Reiher talked about his experience doing street medicine with Mosaic. He said setting up a tent and going to the people instead of having them come to a van or clinic "flips the power dynamic." He approaches his patients with compassion and dignity, recognizing their trauma and meeting them literally where they are.

Cleveland Commons tenant and former nurse Sheree got everyone laughing even as she explained her experience with homelessness, ADHD, paranoid schizophrenia, and being "born addicted." She spent seven years in a tent caring for a veritable zoo of animals. She was willing to leave when CAMP worked with her to rehouse all of her them. It took getting into housing for Sheree to get sober, and now she advocates for her fellow residents, including creating a plan for pets if a resident dies, as well as collecting donations for Christmas for Critters.

CJ Dezort, director of Cleveland Commons, explained the difference the apartment complex makes in the lives of formerly homeless people. "It's Thanksgiving dinner," he said. "It's the next day when people say, 'Do you know how long it's been since I was able to have leftovers the day after Thanksgiving?'"

The evening ended with Jezza Neumann, an award-winning filmmaker who is making a documentary about homeless kids in the United States. He is interviewing several families in Central Oregon, including at our Safe Parking & Microshelters Program.

Jezza's films "Born Poor" and "Poor Kids" have aired on PBS. He got the idea for his current project when he heard that there were American kids living in cars. He chose Oregon for one reason: "Oregon has the highest number of unsheltered families with children, sadly."

Jezza interviews children because they "articulate their world in a free way" and while it is easy to blame adults, he thinks children can change people's views.

He tells the people he films, "If we don't tell your story, if we don't try, it's guaranteed nothing will change."

Jezza's approach and commitment to telling stories without sensationalizing or exploiting the people he is filming is why we've agreed to let him film at our sites, though our participants are under no obligation to work with him and can decide to stop doing so at any time.

Thank you so much Teresa for that report. We so appreciate our partnership with Mountain View Community Development along with so many other agencies and organizations in Central Oregon

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Message from COHA Board President Melissa Blackett

I'd like to share a few of my statements that I shared in my welcome to those who attended the Forum this year:

2026 Understanding Homelessness in Central Oregon

Good evening.

And welcome to the 2026 Understanding Homelessness in Central Oregon Forum.

My name is Melissa Blackett, and I serve as President of the Central Oregon Homelessness Alliance Board.

Thank you for being here tonight.

To our elected officials… government leaders… law enforcement officers… service providers representing over 40 agencies… faith communities… and community members —

Your presence here matters.

It says this issue matters.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors: UUFCO Endowment Fund Grant, Westside Church, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Bend Church, Mountain View Community Development, and Central Oregon Homelessness Alliance.

Thank you to our board members — especially Barbara Belzer, our Forum Organizer.

Almost two years ago, a small group of community members came together with a simple goal:

To build empathy around homelessness. And to help educate our community about what is really happening here in Central Oregon.

That vision led to last year’s forum.

Twenty-two agencies participated. We heard professional expertise. We heard lived experience.

Afterward, many asked us to host another forum.

We are excited to have fulfilled that request and in the process we formed a non-profit. 

Central Oregon Homelessness Alliance exists to provide education, advocacy, and collaborative support for our unhoused neighbors and the agencies that serve them.

We are here to connect people. We are here to strengthen partnerships. We’re here to be a resource for our community.

On a personal note, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude and admiration for the COHA board. 

I am continually inspired by our board members they serve with compassion and persistence — advocating publicly, partnering with agencies, and showing up consistently for our unhoused neighbors.They consistently invest their time, talents, resources, and energy to serve our homeless community and the Central Oregon community at large. 

Barbara, Ginny, Lynd, and Chuck — thank you.

I am also grateful for Michelle who is an advisor to our board, she lives in Juniper Ridge and serves as a community organizer and advocate for her neighbors.

Her leadership reminds us that those closest to the challenges are often closest to the solutions. Thank you Michelle. 

Thank you for being here tonight.

Homelessness is complex. Solutions require partnership and empathy. Solutions require persistence and patience.  Solutions require community.

Together, we can continue building a region where stability, dignity, and hope are possible for everyone.

Thank you.

What an amazing evening of laughter, a few tears, learning, connecting, and dreaming about a better future for our community.

*Due to a technical issue the 2026 Forum was not recorded. We know many of you wanted to be able to share the evening with others. Our apologies.

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Forum by the Numbers

We had over 300 people attend the Forum this year. More than half of attendees were from the general public, the rest were representatives from community agencies and organizations of which there were 43 represented!

We're excited for next year's Forum!