COOS BAY, Ore. — Community partners gathered September 15th to celebrate the opening of Lighthouse, a new Alternative Youth Activities housing program in Coos Bay for young families and pregnant youth experiencing homelessness.
Located at the former Belloni Ranch on Karl Road, Lighthouse includes 10 residential units with capacity for up to 24 beds. The program will give young people and their children a safe, stable place to live while connecting them with services and resources that can help them move toward permanent housing.
The opening was celebrated in conjunction with the Northwest Indian Housing Association Fall Conference at Ko-Kwel Casino Resort. Oregon Housing and Community Services Executive Director Andrea Bell joined conference attendees and local partners for the occasion. Following the conference luncheon, attendees, project partners, and community representatives traveled to Lighthouse for a ribbon-cutting and tour.
“The Coquille Indian Housing Authority Board of Commissioners was very pleased to have the opportunity to join with the State of Oregon, Coos County, City of Coos Bay, and Alternative Youth Activities in creating Lighthouse, a transitional housing facility for homeless youth,” shared Rocky Doyle, Chair, Coquille Indian Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. “It was gratifying to be able to reach beyond our own housing needs and, in the Coquille Tribe’s spirit of giving, make a positive contribution to the wider community. Hopefully, there will be many more opportunities for us all to work together.”
The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting. Participants included representatives from Alternative Youth Activities (AYA), the Coquille Indian Housing Authority, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Coos County, the City of Coos Bay, the Northwest Indian Housing Association, and the surrounding community.
AYA’s collaboration with its Tribal, state, county, and city partners made Lighthouse possible. The Coquille Indian Housing Authority supported the project with funding from the BAFI NATO Initiative–Native American Tribes of Oregon. Coos County facilitated AYA’s purchase of the Karl Road property, and state and local housing resources supported the development of additional shelter capacity.
“OHCS is grateful to be in partnership with Tribal leaders centered on sovereignty, trust, and our responsibility to ensure that housing progress directly serves Tribal and rural communities,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “Under the leadership of Gov. Kotek, state resources are supporting locally-driven solutions in ways people can see and feel. As we look to the future mindful of the past, the value and vibrancy of rural Oregon is showing how to get things done that materially make life better in our state.”
The project shows what can be accomplished when Tribal, state, local government, and nonprofit partners coordinate their resources around a shared community need. Lighthouse will give young families and pregnant youth a stable place to stay while they work toward permanent housing and greater independence.
AYA’s Board Chair, Alice Carlson shared “Supporting youth as they move into adulthood has been a long-held mission for AYA. The Lighthouse program gives us 12 to 24 months to help young families build lasting stability and break the cycle of generational poverty.”
