Bethlehem Inn in downtown Redmond closed its doors last October, just months after it received more than $2.7 million in state funds to turn an old motel into a homeless shelter.

Executive director Gwynn Wysling said the closure was necessary in order to transition the facility from a high-barrier emergency shelter into a longer term, transitional one that gets residents ready for permanent and stable housing.

The new facility, renamed Bethlehem Inn Community Housing, has already proven beneficial, according to Wysling. She said five of the six first residents at the new Bethlehem Inn moved to permanent housing.

The most profound change, Wysling said, is not the renovations or the shift from short-term to long-term housing: It is the shelter’s philosophy.

“I think there is a philosophical difference of how the individuals are coming here. It’s not just, ‘I have housing for the next year.’ It’s ‘I have a place where I can land knowing that it’s going to help me finally get to that next place that I can be in permanently.’ That shift is one that is different from how we’ve done it for many years,” she said.

Bethlehem Inn now gives residents one year to find permanent housing. The new facility now has a total of 30 beds. Nine rooms are double occupancy and 12 rooms are single occupancy for a total of 21 rooms. Only five beds are currently unoccupied, but Wysling said she expects the shelter to be full within the week.

Creating change through community

Because the shelter is focused on an accountability-based approach to ending homelessness, staff work to forge deeper connections with residents, Wysling said. It also allows them to create community. For example, many residents are trying to quit smoking, so the shelter will celebrate World No Tobacco Day on May 31.

“We’re able to connect people with community,” said Jason Munn, Bethlehem Inn Redmond Community Housing site coordinator. “I think that’s going to be key to them transforming their lives. It’s been really exciting to see the few residents see relief here in a short amount of time … I think it’s that community aspect that we’re able to provide that reengaged these individuals.”

Wysling told The Spokesman about one resident — who she did not name for confidentiality — who recently moved into permanent housing. She described him as “very quiet, introverted and almost a recluse.” However, because of the more personal relationships staff built under the Redmond shelter’s new philosophy, they had the time to work with him to find steady income.

“This person got a job … and talk about transformation,” said Wysling. “It was a beautiful thing to see what was happening to someone who didn’t have that self-confidence, (then) next thing I know, they had a car, they had insurance and they moved out on Monday, That was not something you would have seen in such a short period of time, but those are the deeper level of changes that we are able to make.”

More autonomous living

Wysling said the decision to reopen Bethlehem Inn’s Redmond shelter as transitional housing was largely precipitated by Shepherd’s House — another organization providing homelessness resources in Central Oregon — opening a 44-bed emergency shelter in south Redmond in November 2023.

“With the addition of so many different shelter beds in the region, we thought this was actually what was more needed,” said Wysling.

While it was closed between October and January, Bethlehem Inn renovated its single and double occupancy shelter rooms that were once part of the Greenway Motel. These renovations were largely to update the building, but Wysling said the changes were necessary to create the opportunity for a more autonomous living environment for residents.

Each room now has lockers for residents to store their belongings, as well as a bed, mini-fridge, TV and microwave. The microwave and fridge are especially important, Wysling said, because it allows residents to make decisions about what communal meals they participate in.

Of course, participation in some things is still mandatory for residents at Bethlehem Inn Redmond Community Housing. It’s a drug- and alcohol-free shelter and residents must adhere to that policy.

“The guidelines for people can come and go, but it’s still a safe place because we want to create an environment where somebody doesn’t want to be around drugs or alcohol … It’s just reinforcing the positive things that are going to help them be healthier in the long-run.”