Jericho Road outlines outreach, food and housing-assistance services for Redmond area

Don Seneckel, executive director (introducing himself on behalf of Jericho Road), provided Deschutes County commissioners an annual update describing the nonprofit’s food, shelter outreach and housing-assistance programs serving Redmond-area residents.

Seneckel said Jericho Road operates six programs, organized by board members, and coordinates more than 300 volunteers. He told the board that in 2024 Jericho Table served 8,944 meals, Jericho Road provided 2,104 student food bags to schools across the Redmond School District and a housing-assistance program prevented homelessness for 281 adults and 312 children through temporary support.

Seneckel described ongoing camp outreach in partnership with Mosaic Medical, county health, Redmond Library, Reach, Thrive, Project Share and Oasis Village; he said outreach teams provided services to about 2,700 people living on the fringes of the city in 2024 and operate a three-unit shower trailer used by dozens each month. He said roughly 40% of people experiencing homelessness in the areas he serves are employed, and volunteers provided an estimated $76,000 worth of hourly services in 2024.

Seneckel said Jericho Road is working to establish a service center adjacent to Oasis Village on Redmond’s east edge to better coordinate services and transitions to shelter and permanent housing. He asked for continued county support and invited commissioners to Jericho Road’s annual fundraising golf tournament on Aug. 9 at Eagle Crest Resort.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the locality of statistics and current coordination with other service providers. Seneckel said some statistics are national while much of the group’s work is local and that Jericho Road is in discussions with city and county staff and partner organizations about the proposed service center. No formal action was taken; the presentation was entered into the record.