Community Supported Shelters

Safe spot Community program: Community Supported Shelters celebrated its 10th anniversary during fy23. The organization moved to a shared leadership model, rather than a traditional executive director led model, and founder erik de buhr retired from css in december 2022. Staffing has increased to over 35 employees, with many staff members being directly hired from within our safe spot communities. The city of eugene and lane county continue to support css through contracts and advocacy.

Outreach and consultations: css shares information and networks extensively with homeless advocates and agencies in our area, as well as with groups all around the globe. We provide informal advice, construction handbooks and hut templates, along with formal consultation services usually via zoom or similar web-based technologies. Over the past year we sold over 40 hut manuals to organizations and individuals throughout the united states as well as australia and great britain.

Conestoga hut micro-shelters: now operating at the capacity of 143 huts in eight safe spot communities, two micro-sites, and a few mini-micro-sites.

Program success: we have welcomed 215 clients this fiscal year, 49% of whom transitioned to hud-approved positive housing situations.