Madras shelter operators said the facility has expanded hours for cold weather and is working with public-health partners to add afternoon services while continuing to face intermittent overcapacity.

The shelter, staff said during the Madras Homeless Services Committee meeting, operates nightly from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. and runs winter warming hours Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; for the last month staff also opened Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. “We’re hoping to get a calendar together for next month and start working together,” a shelter staff member said, describing talks with VEST Care and the health department about filling a 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. slot for partner services.

The update matters because shelter availability and hours affect where people sleep and whether they access services, committee members said. Committee members and staff noted the expanded schedule aims to reduce exposure during cold weather and to provide a predictable schedule for employment, housing and health partners to deliver services.

Shelter staff described recurring capacity challenges. During parts of the month the shelter has been above capacity, with both men’s and women’s dorms full plus additional people on cots and mats; staff said they maintain five cots for overflow and must stop admitting people when overflow is full. “Anytime we’re putting people on the floor, that’s definitely above capacity,” a shelter staff member said.

Staff provided usage and demographic details to the committee: they said January saw a spike in numbers, with roughly 65 unique individuals staying one or more nights that month and a typical month closer to about 50 unique individuals; over a yearlong span described in the meeting staff said they recorded nearly 500 unique individuals for an observed period in January. The shelter staff estimated the client population was about 65% male, an average age of 46, and roughly 54% Native (other groups described as about 6% Hispanic/Asian/African American and about 40% white).

Committee members pressed staff on whether the shelter attracts people from outside Madras; staff rejected that characterization, saying the vast majority grew up locally. Staff also described barriers clients face when seeking housing—criminal records, credit history and lack of rental deposits—and listed services they are offering to help, including help with IDs, birth certificates, expungement referrals and assistance with first-month/last-month rent when funding is available through partners.

Looking ahead, staff said they want to maintain extended hours through winter and to flip them for summer cooling as needed; they also urged better coordination among outreach teams, code enforcement and health partners so individuals can be referred quickly to treatment, housing or other services.

Committee business included no formal vote on shelter operations at the meeting; members discussed operational coordination and asked staff to return with proposed schedules and partner commitments for the planned daytime slots.