ORCCA’s Facility Projects Overseen by Mary
Child and Family Resource Center
At approximately 30,000 square feet, the new Child and Family Resource Center will house 7 Head Start classrooms, parent education rooms, client resource and intake rooms for the Essential Services department, and office space for Head Start administration as well as ORCCA Support Services. This facility will house almost 150 of the approximately 400 children and their families that Head Start serves, and provide an anchor to the 15,000 people who receive emergency services through ORCCA each year. The facility was designed by Scott Edwards Architecture and is being built by P&C Construction with development support from Carroll Community Investments.
- Funders for the Child and Family Resource Center include:
- Ford Family Foundation
- The Kresge Foundation
- Meyer Memorial Trust
- The Collins Foundation
- Ann & Bill Swindells Charitable Trust
- New Markets Tax Credits through Wells Fargo, Community Funding Group, and Enterprise Cascadia
- USDA B&I Guaranteed Loan through Enterprise Cascadia
Food Bank
This 12,000 square-foot building and additional freezer cooler space will anchor ORCCA’s food distribution infrastructure. South Coast Food Share, a program of ORCCA, is the regional food bank for the Oregon Food Bank, and distributes food through pantries and meal sites along the south coast. The new food bank will enable South Coast Food Share to increase its capacity and improve food distribution throughout Coos, Curry, and Western Douglas Counties. It will also allow for placement of food in preparation for a natural disaster or other general emergency. This project is made possible by the partnership and support of Coos County, recipient of federal grant funds from the Community Development Block Grant Program through the Business Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority. Other funders include the Ford Family Foundation, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Infrastructure Grant Program, the Coquille Tribal Community Fund, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, and donations from our neighbors.
“Jane’s House” Women’s Safety & Resource Center shelter
Women’s Safety & Resource Center (WSRC) is the sole domestic violence shelter and resources program in the Coos County area, and has been operating since 1988 when the first shelter was opened in Coos Bay. The new North Bend domestic violence shelter, known as Jane’s house is a family shelter adjacent to the existing shelter. The City of North Bend, ORCCA, and the Oregon Business Development Department’s Infrastructure Finance Authority joined WSRC in order to complete this critical project. The new shelter opened in April 2010, providing much needed respite for women and children in our community.
Myrtle Point Food Warehouse
Developed to be a part of ORCCA’s South Coast Food Share emergency food system, the Myrtle Point Food Share project was created through a partnership with the City of Myrtle Point and the Oregon Business Development Department’s Infrastructure Finance Authority.
The warehouse has added an additional 2,500 square feet of warehouse storage for food distribution, with cool storage available for fresh and frozen products donated in large quantities from regional grocery stores. The Myrtle Point Pantry has been open summer 2010 and is serving record numbers of people through the new shopping style pantry. This food pantry is the first fully “shopping style” pantry in the region and the first to have solar power. Individuals and families are able to pick food that they want to eat, compliments what they may have in their cupboards already, and fits with any dietary restrictions. Having choice reduces food waste and gives people a sense of dignity and respect. The addition of the solar panels will save the pantry money, making more funds available to feed people.
ORCCA Solar Projects
Through a partnership with Sol Coast Consulting and Design, ORCCA is providing Solar Photovoltaic (PV) access to over 100 low-income households in the area. ORCCA has already been able to install solar panels at the Women’s Safety and Resource Center’s Chloe House, as well as Coos Curry Housing Authority’s facilities in Airport Heights and Powers. Most recently, panels have been installed at Cedar Grove Apartments, and have just begun installations at Park West Apartments.
In addition to the energy assistance provided, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act stimulus moneys that made SERC possible were reinvested directly into the local and state economy. The project allowed for the creation of 11 local green jobs for the installations, resulting in a $350,000 payroll for Coos County workers. Additionally, all of the solar modules have been manufactured in Oregon and all the equipment suppliers are local, distributing over $1 million throughout the local economy.