Participant Stories

Oasis Village has been privileged to walk beside several participants as they transitioned from homelessness to stable housing. Here are two of their stories (names changed for confidentiality):

Oscar came to Oasis Village via a referral from Parole and Probation. He was struggling to find affordable housing with his partner and their 3-year-old daughter. They made the difficult decision to enter separate programs until they could find a place together.

During his stay, he became a role model for other participants; maintaining sobriety, working two jobs, meeting probation requirements, and fulfilling his responsibilities as a member of the Oasis community. Ultimately Oscar, his partner, and daughter were able to move into stable, affordable housing. Upon exiting, he stated that, without Oasis Village, he would likely have ended up back “on the streets,” risking relapse and reentry to the criminal justice system.

Mariah was living in a tent with her small dog when she was referred to Oasis Village by the City of Redmond. While able to use a walker at times, she is primarily confined to a wheelchair. While at Oasis, she often cooked for other participants.

Her dream was to live in La Pine, close to her mother, and was recently able to secure affordable housing there in a new mobile home, however a wheelchair ramp was needed. With the assistance of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, Oasis Village was able to provide the ramp, and Mariah was able to move into her new home. To facilitate the move.

We acknowledge not every story ends with a successful transition to permanent housing. The path from homelessness to stability is difficult, rarely linear and setbacks occur along the way. In all cases, our goal is that, after leaving Oasis, participants are better prepared to meet the challenges they face whatever their situation. So, in addition to case management and connecting participants to social services and other resources, the program offers sobriety programs, life skills training, community building, and the skills needed to care for and maintaining their housing.