Residents at Salem’s oldest micro shelter site say they’re contending with a public health crisis as they approach three days without running water and no bathroom for people with mobility challenges.
In interviews, they described conditions for the 74 people living there as a “nightmare” Tuesday, blaming mismanagement by Church at the Park. The organization which runs the Village of Hope site at 1280 Center St. N.E. is under a contract with the city of Salem.
Sub-freezing temperatures encased the city in ice on Saturday, and residents said their running water was frozen by Sunday morning.
“They didn’t even shovel snow for the wheelchairs and the walkers to get to the outhouses. Nobody’s come to change the outhouses. And we are not allowed to use the regular (toilets) so people are getting sick,” said resident Jamie Saucedo. “I’m to the point where I’m just using the trash can in my room and I just take it out every time I go because the outhouses are so nasty.”
Saucedo said at least two people have been injured by slipping and falling at the site.
DJ Vincent, founding pastor, confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the pipes were frozen for the laundry and shower trailer, and said Church at the Park is providing residents with large bottles of water and coffee.
Asked about health concerns at the site regarding the bathrooms, he said that he wasn’t aware of any as of noon Tuesday, Jan. 16.
“I’m sure many folks regularly use the flushable toilets, and they feel that it’s very unfortunate that the toilet is now just the chemical toilet and it’s cold,” he said.
“We are leaving here with broken bones, and he’s being told there are no health issues?” said Toni, a resident who asked to be identified by only her first name due to fear of retaliation from shelter management.
Tuesday morning, she called the Salem city manager’s office, the mayor’s office, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Marion County Health Department, the governor’s office and the media trying to share residents’ experience at the micro shelter site.
Salem Reporter called Mayor Chris Hoy Tuesday morning, who he said he had not yet been made aware of the situation and declined to comment beyond saying he has an expectation for humane conditions at the site. Toni texted Salem Reporter soon after saying the city had been in contact, saying “The mayor’s office is stepping in on behalf of the residents.”
Church at the Park has grown rapidly over the past three years, becoming a shelter provider to hundreds of vulnerable Salemites. The organization currently operates three micro shelter sites within the city, including one for families on Northeast Portland Road and one for young adults on Southeast Turner Road.
Vincent said that the team discussed weather preparedness at a staff meeting last Tuesday, including supplies. He said he could not confirm when they started salting the ground “except I can clarify that there has been salt at the space and people are instructed to be putting it on. I’m guessing that maybe not every restroom has the same degree of slick or not slick.”
A resident who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation said she saw employees start salting on Saturday, but said there wasn’t enough salt to clear the ice.
Toni said that few employees have shown up since Saturday afternoon. She said in cold temperatures, the water tanks froze over and a community tent collapsed that used to serve food and provide TV and front desk services.
“There’s no communication to the few staff who are showing up and trying to help us, because they actually do care,” Toni said. She grew emotional describing someone who picked up a shift and went pod to pod Monday afternoon checking in on people.
“He’s the only staff person that has done that in three, four days,” she said.
Vincent said two employees per shift were working Tuesday, and two additional safety members assigned to Church at the Park’s three micro shelter sites. He said there were at least two employees on each site throughout the freezing weather, which he said is considered fully staffed.
Saucedo said her food cooler outside has frozen over and she can’t open it. They get one food delivery a day, and she said it’s too cold to find a meal anywhere else.
Most residents have one or two small heaters in their pods. She’s been bundling up with her small rescue dog, Spike.
“I was outside last winter. This is not – I don’t consider this outside – but I do consider this homeless…Because this is insane,” she said. “I get treated worse here than I did out on the streets and I was getting egged out there and spit on.”
The resident who asked not to be named said she loved the micro shelters and wants the program to succeed, but was frustrated by the lack of preparation.
“I’ve been curious like, why they weren’t taking precautions and why we haven’t made it so staff can get here and help out if they need to?” she said.
Tuesday afternoon, Toni said she had heard back from the Marion County Health Department that the agency was arranging a welfare check.
Residents range in age from in their 20s to their 70s, and Toni said a lot of them use walkers and wheelchairs. She said the site usually has an ambulance come at least once a week.
“The people here are more medically fragile than in the other villages,” she said. “We’re a fragile population. We’re a marginalized population.”
Vincent said his organization would continue putting salt down as a forecasted ice storm approached.
“I would suggest that this afternoon that it’ll be pretty unsafe everywhere,” he said. “So we’ll be suggesting people just to kind of limit their movements to essential needs.”
Toni said it’s been hard not being heard by management.
“It’s going to be a public health crisis in this village if they don’t get people in here and start solving some of these problems,” Toni said. “We’re only going to get worse because we don’t have the support that we were promised. We don’t have running water. We don’t even have water to brush our teeth. And there’s another storm coming in today. And if they haven’t done anything in the last three and a half days, what hope do we have for the next three and a half days?”
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
