A letter from Elizabeth V. Hallett, Director, Peace House

Dear Readers,

According to the weekly count at our Uncle Food’s Diner there are at least 145 citizens regularly suffering from food insecurity in Ashland. Some are housed. Some are unhoused.

At this writing, it is thirty-four degrees outside at 8:15 AM on October 26th. There are likely many very cold houseless citizens. Some may be suffering from hypothermia. Even if the new emergency shelter were open now, it would house only 30 people. There are likely more than 100 unhoused people in Ashland. Meanwhile, Pioneer Hall, which has been used in the past for emergency shelter, and has also been the location for three evening community meals, stands vacant. Our community meal programs have had to set up outside in Lithia Park. Our community meals have been served from the Lithia Park Gazebo. Diners sit on the ground and on rocks to eat their food. 

The Peace House / Uncle Food’s Diner and the Jobs With Justice meals, which have operated for many years to feed the houseless and the food insecure, used to be able to rent Pioneer Hall from the City of Ashland for their meal programs. In April of this year, the programs were told by the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department that Pioneer Hall would be closed and under contract for a remodel. The building sat vacant and untouched all summer. No remodel. 

A month ago,  Elizabeth Hallett and Jason and Vanessa Houk initiated a conversation with Joe Lessard, the former City Manager, about the possibility of using Pioneer Hall during the cold weather. He indicated that a remodel contract was planned for January of 2024 and that there might be a way to “work something out.”  He scheduled a meeting with us, then canceled it because he had to go out of town. Later, he rescheduled the meeting for October 18. We attended hopeful there would be some good news. Joe listened to us asking for just two months in Pioneer Hall. We described the hardship and the concerns about cold weather. He said he would takeout concerns to “the Administration.” We did not hear back. Elizabeth called this week to follow up on Tuesday. He said he had handed off our request to Deputy City Manager Sabrina Cotta and explained our conversation and our hope to be in Pioneer Hall by October 31st. We did not know he was resigning.

We were shocked to learn that a remodel for Pioneer hall is NOT under contract, and has not been through the time since April when we were told we could not use the building. 

Wednesday Vanessa wrote to Joe Lessard, Mayor Tonya Graham and the City Council  as follows:  

Subject: Any update on Pioneer Hall?

Hi everyone, 

It was really cold this morning, and we have a pretty cold, (and sometimes wet) stretch ahead of us. I’m wondering if there’s any news about being able to use Pioneer Hall for the community meals? I’ve included Elizabeth Hallett from Peace House on this, as I know they are all equally worried. 

 Just a couple weeks ago, one of our very long term unhoused women, walked up to the peace meal shouting and agitated. She has lived in Ashland for a decade, and before mental illness took over, she used to work for the Ashland school district. Her illness keeps her from being able to function in a shelter environment, so she doesn’t fit into what’s offered. We have spent years gaining her trust, and she feels safe near us. Anyway, we got her a plate of food, and she sat down on the ground to eat and rest. Within minutes there was a vast improvement in her behavior. This is the power of community. This is what the peace meals and Uncle Foods Diner does week after week. We are seeing a large increase in families, seniors and disabled folks. Many are housed. Food insecurity is a very real problem in our community. 

 Right now, while we serve meals outdoors, there is no place for our people to sit down other than the cold ground. I know for sure that there isn’t anyone that I’ve included in this email that doesn’t deeply care about this. We have a solution and just need to quickly act on it. 

 Thanks for your attention. I look forward to hearing good news soon. 

 Vanessa Houk, Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice 

The reply Vanessa received was from the new Deputy City Manager. 

Hello Vanessa,

Thank you for reaching out. Pioneer Hall will not work for your purposes and the City does not have other indoor space to offer. I have spoken with the Parks Department and the Garfield Park Pavilions can be made available. I have let the Parks Department know you are looking to serve food Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4-6pm, Sunday from 6a.m. -10a.m. and on Christmas and Thanksgiving and that you are committed to ensuring the trash is picked up and that people will only gather there for meals and then disperse per my conversation with Joe.

Thank you,

Sabrina Cotta, Deputy City Manager

She/her/hers

Surely Sabrina Cotta is inundated with concerns as she steps into her role as Deputy City Manager. Understandably, she also cannot make decisions in a vacuum. What is needed now is for City Council to approve the use of Pioneer Hall for our houseless and hungry people to be able to eat a meal inside as the weather closes in on them. 

We have not been able to find any other place to have the meal indoors. Churches that have been asked are not able to receive us.

We believe that the City of Ashland has a responsibility to provide a place for our unhoused citizens to eat and sleep out of the cold. This is why the Emergency Shelter is so important. 

The use of Pioneer Hall, even with its minimal heating, is at least an effort to respect and care about the needs of the unhoused.

You can email the City Council liaisons Bob Kaplan and Dylan Bloom and Mayor Tonya Graham to encourage them to make Pioneer Hall available at least until January 2024.

Elizabeth V. Hallett 

Director, Peace House