Mid Columbia Community Action Council outlines shelter, housing and outreach work to Wasco County commissioners

Leslie Naramore, executive director of Mid Columbia Community Action Council, told the Wasco County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 17 that the agency has expanded services across Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties and is focusing on stabilizing recent growth in infrastructure and programs.

The presentation detailed the agency’s shelter, transitional and prevention work, and why officials describe navigation services, landlord partnerships and community health workers as core to keeping people housed.

Mid Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) operates the Gloria Center navigation hub in The Dalles, the annex transitional housing site (the former Oregon Motor Motel), seasonal warming shelters and prevention programs such as utility and rental assistance. “The Gloria Center is what’s known as a navigation center — a one‑stop shop,” Naramore said. “Everyone is on‑site.” Sarah Kellum, the agency’s development and partnerships director, added that MCCAC partners on-site with six agencies and provides case management, mobile medical visits and other direct services.

Commissioners heard program-level outcomes for 2024 and recent emergency work. MCCAC reported 163 people served at the annex in its first year, including 40 children; an average stay at the annex of about 4.5 months; roughly 100 landlord partners; and 280 people who were at risk of eviction and did not lose housing as a result of prevention interventions. After the Rowena Fire, MCCAC said it had 26 households on its caseload and had rehoused 19 of those households.

The presentation emphasized the agency’s community health worker model. Kellum said about 70% of MCCAC’s case managers are trained community health workers who provide outreach, help clients navigate medical appointments, obtain bus passes and support housing transitions. “They help with everything from helping our clients get a bus pass … to getting them to a doctor’s appointment,” Kellum said.

MCCAC staff described funding as a mix of state (majority), federal (about 30% as reported by the agency), local foundations and community donations. They said a contract with PacificSource helps sustain community health worker work through a programmatic payment model, but noted long-term funding remains an “unknown” they are actively pursuing.

The agency also described programs that serve veterans (the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program and nine-unit Hamilton property), monthly outreach to Sherman County, and the Mid Columbia Houseless Collaborative — a loose coalition of more than 40 partners co‑convened with Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP). MCCAC said it will host a community screening of the film No Place to Grow Old at the Granada Theater on Nov. 6 as part of outreach.

Commissioners and members of the public asked about volunteer and staffing numbers; MCCAC reported about 30 employees, approximately 80 volunteers with 30 having specialized shelter training, and 579 volunteer hours last year. The agency said it will circulate its newly finalized strategic plan to local governments following remaining presentations.

The presentation was followed by questions from commissioners on outreach, home‑repair referrals, veteran services coordination and funding sustainability. MCCAC offered to follow up with contact information and referrals for weatherization and minor home‑repair programs.

MCCAC materials and a short video featuring local landlord and partner perspectives were offered for distribution to commissioners.

Less critical details: MCCAC said it operates year‑round prevention programs such as LIHEAP, prioritizes seniors and people with disabilities for utility assistance, and that much of the outreach work is done by staff with lived experience. The agency said it will begin a new community needs assessment in the spring as required and has released a new five‑year strategic plan.