“We turn away as many people a month as we help, sometimes more because the rent situation is getting out of hand and we don’t have funds…the next month those same people are coming in and asking for showers because they don’t have a place to take one anymore.”  – Nancy Rozell, Director of Christian Service Network

This is just one of the issues Nancy and volunteer worker Lyn Hagerty face.

Together, they head up Christian Service Network (CSN), a non-profit organization that helps people in Josephine County who need emergency help. The majority of people coming in do so because they have no other resources to turn to. They need help in order to retain their housing or keep utilities on at home. Sometimes they request laundry vouchers so they can wash their clothes. Quite often, they do not have the funds to go and pick up prescription medication. The current budget for CSN is approximately $2,500.00 and comes from 22 local churches who donate monthly.

A few individuals also make contributions in order help with expenses. The Seventh Day Adventist Church has generously donated office space and pays for all the necessary utilities. Those utilities include water, which is used in the shower facility for those who are homeless or do not have running water at their home.

While this non-profit organization continually seeks to help those in need, the recent rise in gas prices, combined with the mortgage crisis, has left CSN with no choice but to turn a number of people away. While they haven’t solicited funds from businesses, they are looking into the possibility of doing so in the near future. Currently, they have anywhere from 42 to 58 people per month coming in to use the shower facilities. The number of people seeking financial assistance fluctuates per month, but averages out to 104.

The greatest need for those coming to CSN is help with shut off notices on their utilities, closely followed by requests for rental assistance. Nancy and Lyn do their best to help those in need maintain their sense of dignity and value. However, that can get tricky during the application process, as they must properly determine the applicant’s true needs and assess the urgency and validity of those needs by questioning the person and asking for appropriate documentation. Despite their careful screening process, the services of CSN do occasionally get abused, such as the time a person duplicated gas vouchers, faked the needed signatures, and left the agency stuck with a $300.00 gas bill. Such situations can be very frustrating, but CSN works around such problems and comes up with measures to ensure that fraudulent activity will not be repeated. While they no longer give out gas vouchers, they occasionally will help someone out with fuel. They are currently looking into a safer method of being able to do so on a more regular basis.

One of the most heart wrenching situations they see at Christian Service Network is the number of mothers children who are living in vehicles with their children. That number is rapidly increasing. Not only do these families have no place to stay, they are often shooed away by police from various locations when they attempt to spend the night parked in a location where they feel safe. While many people are under the impression that such people can go to the homeless shelters in town, this isn’t an accurate assumption. Not only are the shelters usually full, the majority requires that people entering the shelter for more than a brief stay be enrolled in programs for drug abusers and alcoholics. Sadly enough, this most often leaves no room for the person or family who is clean and sober. As there are really no other resources as far as temporary housing, sometimes the only thing CSN can do is let people know what areas of town they’ve heard about where people can sleep outside and be relatively safe.

Fortunately, they can be more helpful when it comes to other needs. If Christian Service Network cannot help someone, they have a list of agencies they work with in town that they either call or will send people to, such as UCAN (Umpqua Community Action Network)  or the Salvation Army. They try not to turn a person away without offering an alternative resource. Sometimes, a new resource is found and utilized quite unintentionally. For example, one man came in who had a tough time finding a job because he only had one leg. When Ms. Rozell picked up the phone book to see if there were any places that might be able to help him, she ran across an agency that recycles prosthetics. They just happened to have one available, so the man went in for a fitting, received a prosthetic leg, and was able to find a job shortly thereafter. When he went back to visit CSN and thank them for their help, there were tears in his eyes.

It is those situations and the people who come back months later with success stories that keeps those working within Christian Service Network from becoming jaded. However, it doesn’t keep them from getting frustrated when they run out of funds and are unable to help those who come in.

Donations, either financial or otherwise, are immensely appreciated. Those who are interested in lending this fine organization a hand can give them a call at 541-479-5045. While their greatest need is financial, they occasionally need people who are willing to come in and help at the office. Also, donations of travel size soaps and other personal items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste are helpful as they are given to those who come in for showers. With few exceptions, all donations given go to help Josephine County residents.