Volunteers with the street outreach project Judi鈥檚 Midnight Diner talked with 39 unhoused people over the summer along the Bear Creek Greenway. Results from their survey show 75% of respondents said they don鈥檛 trust the Rogue Retreat staff to treat them fairly.
鈥淵ou know, we ask people what they鈥檇 like to see improved or ways that the services could be improved," said Derek DeForest, a volunteer with Judi's Midnight Diner. "A lot of people just talked about wanting to be treated with dignity. One person said 鈥楾reat people, even if they鈥檙e poor like human beings, not garbage.鈥欌��
In a statement, Interim Executive Director Bill Ihle said "These incendiary comments are based on outdated and already discredited information." He added the leadership team visits the campground weekly to listen to concerns.
DeForest said they also found conflicting information about how to access Rogue Retreat services from the website and during in-person talks with leadership.
As an example, DeForest said he was told by leadership that Rogue Retreat no longer requires a referral from the Medford Police鈥檚 Liveability Team to get into the urban campground. But their website hasn鈥檛 been updated, which could deter people from visiting the campground.
The survey took place before a new leadership team was appointed in early September.
On Thursday night the Medford City Council will consider a $1.3 million funding boost to the organization. If approved, it would help the nonprofit address a $2 million deficit in their budget next year.
