ONTARIO, Oregon — Homelessness in Eastern Oregon is a real issue, and resources are stretched thin.
The Oasis House Homeless Shelter in Ontario is the only shelter in the area that provides hot meals to the homeless population.
Mike is a Desert Storm veteran who says that the Oasis House Shelter has helped give him his life back.
"Years after I got out of the military, I started having seizures and [was] diagnosed with a tumor, and I'm in between houses now, I can't work anymore," Mike said.
WATCH: How the Oasis House Homeless Shelter helps those in need
Mike says the shelter has fair expectations for people seeking aid.
"There are only two rules here, get along with everybody and don't do drugs, pretty easy," Mike said.
The Oasis House Shelter's Director of Operations, Chrissy LaChapelle, says everything they get at the day shelter is donation-based, offering a free warm lunch every day, free hygiene, free clothing, free bike repair, and yes, even free pet care.
LaChapelle says she has seen an increase in need.
"We get a lot of clients that try and stay clean, and so they want to come and volunteer and be somewhere where they're not around it."
Adam is one of these volunteers. He says his drug use led to him becoming homeless a few years ago.
"I just kind of came here because I was in need ... then after a while I got clean, got involved, volunteered, and I love being here," Adam said.
Another client turned volunteer, Stephanie, says that Oasis has changed her life.
"I'd probably still be living in my car, hungry, and wouldn't have half the stuff that we have," she said.
LaChapelle says that she wants to expand operations to meet the growing needs of people in the area.
"It's really hard for me to turn them away at 4:00, 'sorry, there's nothing else I can do,' and it breaks my heart," LaChapelle said.
Working with the City of Ontario, LaChapelle hopes to open a 24/7 facility sometime in late 2026.
