Coos Bay, OR—Funding challenges have forced the City of Coos Bay to cease negotiations on a West Lockhart Avenue property that was being considered for the new site of The Devereux Center, an organization that serves veterans and families and individuals struggling with mental health and housing insecurity. The move continues to be a high-priority project for the City of Coos Bay through its position in the Coos County Coordinated Homeless Response Office, which also includes Coos County and the City of North Bend. The Coordinated Homeless Response Office was awarded approximately $1.9 million from House Bill 5019, a follow-up to the pilot program under House Bill 4123, to rehouse people experiencing homelessness and expand shelter capacity. Moving The Devereux Center from its current location at the busy intersection of Newmark Avenue and Ocean Boulevard to a larger site will enable the facility to add short-term beds and improve services, such as its warming center. In this coordinated effort, the City of Coos Bay managed site selection and pricing negotiations on the property. The City of North Bend served as fiscal agent. The proposed property on West Lockhart Avenue in South Coos Bay was selected due to its capacity, which would have allowed The Devereux Center to nearly double the number of its short-term beds; its proximity to one of The Devereaux Center’s existing sites, Coalbank Village, which would have enabled the consolidation of resources; and its purchase price, which was approved by the Coordinated Homeless Response Office at a special advisory board meeting on February 9, 2024. The City of Coos Bay was recently made aware that HB 5019 stipulates a smaller percentage of funding can be allocated to capital expenditures than originally budgeted, therefore putting the property at West Lockhart Avenue outside the project’s price range criteria.
