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By Neal Lemery, for the Tillamook County Pioneer
Care, Inc.’s annual community resource fair for homeless and other populations provided basic needs – such as food, clothing, and other essential services to 97 local residents at the Sacred Heart gym in Tillamook January 28. Forty-three people were houseless. Over 25 local social service agencies offered a wide range of free services.
The appreciative crowd met with public and non-profit agencies representing a full spectrum of services, such as housing access, food assistance, medical care, child care and parent support, employment, schooling, sobriety support, veterans services, and haircuts. Information and referrals were freely shared. A local artist also provided art supplies and clients enjoyed making small art objects. Pet food, blankets, and toys were also offered.
Among the agencies represented were Care, Inc., Adventist Health, Nehalem Bay Health Clinic, Tillamook County Community Health, the Oregon Department of Human Services, Tillamook Bay Community College, the Oregon Food Bank, Tides of Change, Oxford House, Helping Hands, the Tillamook County Veterans Services Department, and the Tillamook County Counseling Center.
Care, Inc. organized the event, coordinated local service providers, and provided warm jackets, clothing, blankets, and a host of housing and food resources.
Some of the agencies included:
Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers, with its Tillamook center at the Port of Tillamook Bay, offers temporary emergency services, with an opportunity to enroll in a year long sobriety, job search, and housing program, guided by a case manager and group sobriety services. They also assist people recently released from custody, and provide a structured, supportive setting. They coordinate housing placement with Care, Inc. For those they serve, 17% do not have health insurance, which is four times higher than the state average. 29% percent of their clients have experienced domestic violence, an increase from 21% in 2020. The largest increase in their clientele are seniors, followed by mothers with children. The Tillamook center now has forty residents, including men, women, and children, and has 80 total beds. https://helpinghandsreentry.org
Oregon Food Bank. This statewide food resource is very active in Tillamook County, with a warehouse in Tillamook. A client does not need to provide any official ID or proof of address or income to receive food. Clients are also directed to eight food bank sites in the county, as well as four hot meal sites. https://oregonfoodbank.org
Oxford House. Oxford House is a national organization which charters local residential houses. Tillamook has a men’s house, with a women’s house being planned. The house offers a peer run, self-sustaining and substance-free residence. The average age of residents is 38 years, 83% are employed, 12% are veterans, the average education level is 12th grade, and 71% have been previously homeless. 80% of residents maintain long term sobriety. (503)307-2214
CARE, Inc. staffs an emergency shelter, operates two shelter villages, and offers sobriety and mental health counseling referrals. This non-profit began in Tillamook in 1991. Today, 18 people are housed in the shelter villages. In 2025, Care, Inc. served 1,393 people in 807 households. “We are driven by compassion, integrity, respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.” The nonprofit is a resource for eviction prevention, and information and referral services. https://careinc.org.