In Grants Pass, Foundry Village Project Builds Bridge Out of Homelessness

November 10, 2021

AllCare Community Foundation Partners with Rogue Retreat to Create Tiny House Community

Coordinated care organizations across Oregon are seeking sustainable ways to lessen the load of the housing and homelessness crisis in the state. Safe living environments play a large role in a person’s overall health, and finding stable housing has become more challenging.

In Grants Pass, the AllCare Community Foundation (ACCF) has partnered with Rogue Retreat to create the Foundry Village, a low-barrier, year-round homeless shelter. It’s the first of its kind for the city and modeled after Hope Village in Medford, also managed by Rogue Retreat. (Read more about the project)

The development includes 17 tiny homes with electricity and heat, as well as a community center with bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, and social space. Access to the gated community is granted only to residents, approved guests, and staff.

Along with a safe, clean living space, residents receive case management to help them connect with community resources. The mission of Foundry Village is to help residents gain the skills needed to secure permanent housing.

“We believe that the people deserve something better,” Chad McComas, Executive Director of Rogue Retreat, told KTVL. “That’s our whole goal at Rogue Retreat. We want to take people that are depending on society, to where they can make themselves self-sufficient. Because that’s really what makes them feel good at the end of the day anyway.”

More than 70 businesses, faith-based organizations, non-profits, and government agencies have supported the project.

This is one of several initiatives by ACCF to address housing shortages and homelessness. Other efforts include:

  • Urban Campground. ACCF is working with Rogue Retreat, UCAN, and the city of Grants Pass to open a 90-day shelter during the winter months followed by an urban campground in Spring 2022. These programs would include case management and act as a stepping stone to transitional housing like the Foundry Village.
  • Glencrest Cottages. In 2022, ACCF is planning to develop 12 affordable cottages on a donated residential property. The units will range from studios to multi-bedroom homes and share a common greenspace and community building and have capacity for as many as 60 people.
  • Home Rehabilitation and Repair Program. Using Housing and Urban Development funding, Josephine County residents can apply for up to $25,000 to repair roofs, septic, ramps, and other repairs or improvements to make their homes livable and safe.