MCCAC Newsletter 2025 Spring Recap
Greetings from Mid-Columbia Community Action Council - MCCAC!
Here are some key highlights from the past few months:
Rowena Fire Response
In the three weeks since the Rowena Fire, MCCAC has been working hard to assess and meet the needs of our community members who have been displaced by the fire. We are aware of three families enrolled in our Veterans' program who lost their homes, and we have enrolled over 20 displaced households into our housing stabilization programs. One of these clients is 84 years old and was not able to collect belongings from their home before losing everything, including their mobility supplies. MCCAC has collected donations including to replace the mobility equipment, however the loss of homes, belongings, and furry family members are heartbreaking and life-altering.
MCCAC has supported four Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARC) hosted by Wasco County to connect and enroll community members in need of services. During the first two MARC sessions, it became clear to our team that there were community members in need of overnight shelter during the weekend of June 20th. Local hotels were booked for community events and weddings, and while many clients were in hotels during the week, some were losing their stay on Friday. With this knowledge, the MCCAC housing team jumped into action to operate the Emergency Shelter at The Gloria Center Friday to Monday. The shelter hosted four clients through the weekend, and our team was successful in placing them into a hotel on Monday.
On Friday, June 20th, Governor Kotek declared a state of emergency due to the Rowena Fire. With 56 homes lost and many more damaged by smoke, the impact will continue to be seen. Governor Kotek attended the MARC at The Gloria Center on June 25th to witness the needs of the community and observe the recovery response already in place. Our team was grateful for the opportunity to speak about the work MCCAC is doing and hopes the state of emergency will allow more support to flow into the community.
Our preexisting and expanding partnership work is critical to the outcomes of our client work. MCCAC is continuing to work closely with Wasco County, ODHS Emergency Management, PacificSource, and many other partners to ensure our displaced community members have a roof over their heads and a long-term plan to return to stable housing. It has been encouraging to witness our community respond to our neighbors in need. We know that the coming months will be challenging, but we also know that we are part of a resilient community who comes together in times of need.
Community Support is More Important Now Than Ever
This is a time when, more than ever, we need each other.
As we engage in this critical response, we continue to face uncertainty about the future. There is not enough affordable housing available for the people in our region, and after the Rowena Fire there are 56 less homes in our community. Many families are struggling to meet their basic needs. Federal funds are in limbo while the price of household goods continues to rise. The need for our services is increasing, and we do not have a clear picture of our funding outlook for the coming year. Most of our funding comes from the state of Oregon, with much of that being federal funds that pass through the state.
At this time, community support is more important than ever. We welcome many forms of support, including volunteer service, donations of needed supplies, and financial contributions. If you have the ability, we hope you will consider a donation to support our work in the community through this difficult time.
You can double the impact of your gift through our matching gift campaign made possible by a generous supporter. We are in the final stages of this effort, with $2,005 remaining to fully meet our match. You can choose to direct your donation to the Rowena Fire Response, or general support to be directed where it is most needed. You can donate today at mccac.com/donate.
With your continued support, we will make it through this challenging and uncertain time. With our community at our side, we will be able to continue celebrating our successes as we work toward a future where everyone in our community has a safe and stable place to call home.
Rent Well Education Program - Helping Individuals Overcome Barriers to Housing Success
This spring, staff from MCCAC and Nch’i Wana Housing served as instructors for an initial RentWell education series, which was held at The Gloria Center. RentWell is a tenant education course designed for individuals who may face challenges when trying to rent a home. These barriers can include past evictions, limited or no rental history, or a criminal background.
Throughout the course, participants gain essential skills and knowledge to become successful renters. Topics covered include how to properly fill out a rental application, submitting maintenance requests (work orders), communicating effectively with landlords, and understanding tenant rights and responsibilities. An important outcome of the course is the creation of a Rental Portfolio, which includes everything needed to support a housing application. This portfolio features reference letters, proof of income documents, a professional cover letter, and certificates of course completion.
By the end of the program, participants are better equipped to secure and maintain stable housing. 16 participants successfully completed this spring’s RentWell series and graduated. Participant comments included:
"The fact that after being vulnerable and transparent, I was given the ability to grow and learn."
"I now have a better idea on how a landlord may think"
"Was equal, calm, positive environment for families"
This fall, MCCAC plans to hold two additional RentWell series, with one open to the community and the second specifically for clients living at The Annex.
Lived Experience Work Group - Salem Advocacy Day
As one of the conveners of the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative, MCCAC facilitates monthly meetings of the Lived Experience Work Group. This group supports the Houseless Collaborative through many avenues by sharing expertise regarding houseless community needs, creating tools for frontline staff, and advocating with the Collaborative to strengthen the work to end houselessness in the Mid-Columbia region.
On April 16, five members of the Lived Experience Work Group went to the State Capitol in Salem to experience the 2025 legislative session in action. The goal of this trip was to gain familiarity and comfortability with the legislative spaces, watch advocacy in action, and be inspired for state advocacy opportunities in the future.
The group was able to tour the open portions of the Capitol building, see the State House in session, and sit in on a House Committee on Housing and Homelessness meeting. For some, it was their first trip to the Capitol, and multiple members of the group shared the impact of witnessing testimony given in the House Committee meeting.
The group was also given the opportunity to tour the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency’ Navigation Center. MCCAC is constantly adapting to client and community needs, and learning from the work of our counterparts in other regions is a valuable way to gain insight into methods of simplifying, improving, and expanding our work.
The MCCAC staff facilitators are honored to support this group, and the Lived Experience Work Group trip to Salem was a great success and inspiration. The hope is to expand this trip in future years to include more legislative engagement and advocate for critical change and opportunities for our community.
Impact Story – One Community Health’s Mobile Medical Unit at the Hood River Shelter
Many of MCCAC’s clients suffer from ailments that severely impact all aspects of their lives, yet they are unable to receive medical treatment due to barriers such as cost and transportation. To eliminate barriers, MCCAC partners with many local organizations that provide free or low-cost medical services.
An especially fruitful partnership involves One Community Health’s “La Clinica” mobile medical unit, which routinely visits organizations throughout our region to provide services such as preventative and primary care, wound care, and immunizations. La Clinica supports MCCAC clients at our Hood River seasonal shelter and The Annex, our year-round transitional housing shelter. MCCAC Housing Stabilization Specialist Marie Parker works closely with La Clinica, and she recently shared a story illustrating the life-changing impact of this partnership.
A middle-aged, chronically houseless client has stayed at the Hood River shelter for the past two seasons. The client has wounds caused by weather exposure and substance abuse that severely limit his mobility. During his time at the shelter, La Clinica visited at least once a week to provide wound care. Additionally, nurses visited daily to change wound dressings, and Family Nurse Practitioner Middy Tilghman (head of La Clinica) met with the client at least once every two weeks to monitor progress.
After the Hood River shelter closed for the season, the client enrolled in an in-patient addiction treatment program, but he was removed due to his medical issues and was sleeping on the street. For legal and safety reasons, La Clinica must operate at established locations; street and camp services cannot be provided. Fearing that the client’s healing progress would be reversed, Marie and Nurse Practitioner Middy collaborated with PacificSource and Providence Health to obtain a hotel room for the client, enabling La Clinica to continue providing wound treatment.
The client continues to heal and has reported that he “is in a good spot” and is deeply grateful for the assistance. The hotel stay is only a temporary solution, but Marie and our partners are working hard to arrange wheelchair-accessible permanent supportive housing. Without the collaborative efforts of La Clinica and our other community partners, the client would lose access to critically important wound care that prevents limb loss and potentially fatal infection. “Middy and the One Community Health crew are wonderful,” says Marie. “Many of our clients haven’t seen a doctor in years, and they often have trust issues. The mobile unit meets clients where they are, and it is saving lives!”
MCCAC Welcomes new Deputy Director, Kyle Bray
Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) is pleased to welcome Kyle Bray to our team as our new deputy director. Kyle has been with us since May and has already become an integral part of the team.
Originally hailing from Louisiana, Kyle has lived all over the world including stints in Japan and England before settling here in the Gorge. After college, Kyle was stationed in Sitka, Alaska, as an AmeriCorp VISTA volunteer. While in Alaska, Kyle assisted with establishing a Big Brothers and Big Sisters program which focused on the native Tlingit population.
Kyle has his Master's degree in Public Administration/Nonprofit Management from Portland State University and this, combined with two decades of experience in civic engagement, community development, and the nonprofit sector make him exceptionally well-suited for the role.
Kyle has led student service immersion trips all over the world, from Nicaragua to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His focus on these trips was largely disaster relief, which has given Kyle the unique ability to lead in times of chaos.
You might recognize Kyle as a friendly face from Everybody's Brewing in White Salmon, as Kyle was the general manager there for several years before transitioning back to the nonprofit world with us here at MCCAC. Please join us in welcoming Kyle to the team - we're thrilled to have him!
Did You Know? – Homeless vs. Houseless
Language has power, and the words that we use when describing and/or interacting with MCCAC clients matter. Disability rights advocate Emily Ladau explains that “language is one of the most important signals that we have to demonstrate our acceptance or rejection of a person’s identity.” You may hear the terms “homeless” and “houseless” used interchangeably, but there are critical differences in the underlying messaging for each, and there has been a gradual shift towards using “houseless” when describing a person that lacks a physical address. The Blanchet House, a decades-old social services organization in Portland, explains the subtle differences:
“Homeless is a word most often used to describe people living unsheltered on sidewalks, in tents, camps, cars, or RVs. More frequently, the word houseless is used in place of homeless. People described as homeless are not necessarily without homes. Home is the word we use to describe the personal community in which we live. Home includes our loved ones and pets, our important or sentimental possessions and valuables, and our traditions and rituals. House is the structure in which all of this takes place. It’s why we say, “home sweet home” and not “house sweet house.” If “home is where the heart is,” then people experiencing homelessness absolutely have homes. But they don’t have a house. They may have shelter, but not shelter we ordinarily think of as a house.”
Thank you for supporting our work to build a better future for our community!
Mid-Columbia Community Action Council is a non-profit 501c3 organization, EIN 93-0555518