If you are reading this, I hope that you had a great 2025 and are looking ahead to a happy 2026. It’s been a big year at Rogue Retreat and, looking back, I’m amazed at what our staff and volunteers were able to accomplish.
The Social Enterprises team (Jana, Jason, Rachel, and Jeff) catered more meals, cleaned up more businesses and streets, and processed more items through the thrift store than ever before. They also hired more guests directly out of our shelter than ever before. These programs are a crucial part of how Rogue Retreat helps people exit homelessness and become self-sufficient.
This past year, Rogue Retreat also added 52 new units: 10 shelter beds, 17 transitional housing rooms, and 25 apartments. This is a huge step forward in helping more people get off the streets, out of their cars, and into stable housing long-term.
A special thanks goes out to the City of Medford, Jackson County Mental Health, the City of Ashland, and Ron and Katherine Lang. Their donations and grants combined to make that expansion possible. Each and every one of those units is already full and there are nearly 100 people who spent the holidays indoors and warm because of their generosity.
While we celebrate these and other successes from 2025, we must also look ahead at what needs to be done in 2026 and beyond.
Our goals this year include adding more transitional housing to help people move out of the shelters; growing our Social Enterprise programs; partnering with local businesses to help hire our shelter guests and break the cycles of poverty; and continuing to learn from the people we serve how to best prevent homelessness and foster lasting change.
In the coming months, we hope to announce volunteer opportunities for groups to get involved in building new housing and helping in the gardens.
Something else very important that we want to keep talking about in 2026 is stigma. Being homeless, struggling with addiction, or trying to help a friend or a family member can be overwhelming and lonely. It doesn’t have to be. There are programs in the Rogue Valley, not just Rogue Retreat, that can connect you or your loved ones to support networks, people who have their own lived experience, and compassionate services. Life can be hard enough without shame. Don’t be afraid to reach out to ask for help – or offer help through volunteerism or donations.
We’re all in this together and everyone deserves a place to call home.
-Sam Engel