Now, Roosevelt is becoming a model for improvement for all CSS communities—thanks to funding based on its partnership to provide shelter for participants in the Eugene Community Court Provider Room Program. That program allows people charged with non-violent minor misdemeanors like disorderly conduct, theft, interfering with public transportation, trespassing, or prohibited camping violations to opt out of Municipal Court proceedings to participate in the Community Court’s Provider Room in which individuals engage in Community Court case plans, which connect them with services that will address their needs to help them stabilize and move toward an improved quality of life instead of being negatively affected by the criminal justice system. Referrals from the Community Court Provider Room began moving into the Roosevelt Community in January 2024.

“That spot just has such a history with the organization. As we implemented this program, I really wanted to think about how we could utilize that funding to improve the habitability at the location and invest in the individual stability of people who are navigating the Community Court program,” says Blake Burrell, Co-Executive Director of CSS. “In addition, our organization is starting to think about how our Safe Spot Communities that we're going to operate on a longer basis can continue to improve beyond the initial designs during the founding years and expansion.”

The new Community Room replaced the previous off-grid building that Whitney described as a “metal shed. The floor was like a bunch of different rugs, rocks, and dirt on top of them. It was so different.” It had a couple of chairs and a couple of couches around a wood stove. CSS replaced the gravel floor and furniture multiple times last year, but was having challenges with mud being tracked into the common area on shoes and by pets.

The new Community Room is a prefabricated structure from Summit Structures that was delivered on the back of a trailer last August. “Trace, CSS Business Manager, worked hard to research and coordinate the purchase of the building,” Blake says, “and Dustin and his crew have done a great job getting everything set up comfortably.”

Dani, CSS Community Manager, videotaped the delivery process. “I’m not going to lie,” she says, “I cried when they backed it in here. I've had the pleasure of watching CSS go from being four sites through the expansion” to the current 13 sites. “This was just like that next step. It hit me emotionally.”

As part of a summer internship program with the Law Students Public Interest Fund of the University of Oregon School of Law, Kai, Business Administration Intern, worked with Trace to find the building and worked with Summit Structures on the design. The CSS facilities team and volunteer Hut Crew removed the previous community building. Square One Villages moved the navigation station and other structures on the property to make room for the new building. Nick, at 3D Construction, flattened the terrain, raised the ground level by 5 inches, and spread gravel over the entire property, helping to alleviate persistent mud problems—as well as improving livability and eneral accessibility of the site. The Community Room has wired-in electricity (thanks to EWEB and Weiland Electric), running city water (thanks to Tom’s Plumbing), a kitchen (thanks to the Hut Crew), electric heat, refrigeration, and a collection of couches surrounding an entertainment center with a TV and a DVD player.  Lowe’s donated the flooring, interior paneling, and insulation, which were installed by the Hut Crew.  The property was also surrounded by a perimeter of bamboo planted to create a beautiful natural barrier between the community and the railroad and city property next door. To top it off, the team from the Provider Room came out in March to create a community garden. “It’s been a very collaborative effort across our teams and partners,” says Blake.

“This was a very intentional process,” says Blake, “Roosevelt was a pilot project to figure out what things we would want to do for Common Room improvements at our sites.” We asked questions like, “How much would it cost to do this type of upgrade and what do people living in our community want?”

“We have a neat dynamic here,” says Otis, who recently “graduated” from the Community Court Program, which means he completed his case plan and has had any charges against him expunged. “If you walk in that door, there'll be three or four people sitting around having a philosophical discussion, or a very heated debate about something that they’re passionate about but they’re talking. As you come through, you'll hear somebody playing rap music, right? As you get further in, there's a television going. Other people would be together working on some project they’ve got going, and Wolfie would be painting. I sit down. I turn on my music.” That’s a lot to be going on in that space, but, he says, “we make it work.”

The new Community Room makes “all the difference in the world,” Whitney says, “When I clean up, I feel honored to clean up. I love sweeping the floor.” 

Alex, who did not successfully complete the Community Court Program believes he would have had a better chance at success if the new Community Room had been there from the beginning. 

“Yeah, it was a really big difference,” he says. “I feel like it affected my Community Court experience a lot. When I first got here, I didn't really have a community. I just had myself. We were in the middle of a transition phase of it, so we didn’t get the option to start our Community Court while having these kinds of accessories. I have a feeling that the next round of people are going to have a lot more success in Community Court.”

Harley, CSS Community Facilitator  has noticed the change in Alex. “He has been really engaged since we got this building. I feel like he’s here more often, and he has been trying to get into all our different program opportunities. It's a big improvement.”

At the end of his shelter stay at Roosevelt, Alex is excited about his move to the Westmoreland Community. He will get a Conestoga Hut, continuing to be a part of CSS’s community, regardless of how his program completion went with the community court program. People who are referred from the Community Court are enrolled in the program at the shelter and  can stay a maximum of six months at the Roosevelt site. “I love this spot,” he says, “but the fact that I'm going to a place where I’m going to be more permanently is even better.”

Whitney has had a similar transformation, Harley says. “Since this place opened up here, it's a different Whitney. She's blooming and coming out because she feels comfortable.” Harley says both the attendance at and quality of community meetings have improved with more comfortable places to sit and less outside noise from traffic on the nearby street or rain pounding on the metal roof. Blake says, “It is important to have a good place to gather and build community, so we are grateful for the investment of time and energy into a project like this.”

Blake explains, “those who have been referred to our Roosevelt Community and moved in have been positive and contributing members of our communities. Whether people have “graduated” like Otis or been “revoked” like Alex, our focus is stability and shelter, and after their stay at Roosevelt has completed, they will continue their shelter stay and are moved to other safe spot communities with CSS.”

Statistics from the first year of the partnership at the Roosevelt Community—before the recent infrastructure improvements—show positive results. Seventy percent of participating individuals who transferred to standard Safe Spot Communities remained in those communities, regardless of whether they successfully completed their case plans, and they sustained engagement in programs such as workforce development, service navigation, community field trips, and arts education. A few people have even become CSS staff members, getting to be part of a team that helps people coming in from similar backgrounds as them.

In 2024, none of those people who were referred from Community Court Provider Room received criminal citations during their stay in CSS Safe Spots, and the only people who were cited again received those citations after they left CSS shelters — indicating success of the model while achieving two of the Community Courts primary goals of reducing recidivism and increasing stability through shelter. These results demonstrate that if people have a place to live, they do not receive citations related to the experience of homelessness like prohibited camping, tresspassing, and park rules violations.

 “CSS is consistently advocating for people who are experiencing homelessness to not be penalized for not having a place to go,” Blake says “This is an issue of resource scarcity and people experiencing homelessness need shelter and housing not criminalization. This partnership with the team at the provider room has allowed us to make a model centered on human needs first — addressing needs like shelter, water, and belonging—which makes the completion of a case plan more manageable, and the additional assistance through service navigation makes transportation, healthcare, and other resources needed more accessible. The team at the provider room is invested in the model and wants to continue to provide opportunities for stability for their program participants.”

There are a few things that remain to be done this spring. This includes installing ceiling panels, deconstructing the previous kitchen structure, and creating more garden space. “I think the place is just really going to feel great,” Blake says. “I think it's going to be an awesome opportunity for folks to stabilize.” 

This unique relationship between the community court and CSS—"no one’s ever done this before,” Blake says—has involved learning and adapting on both sides. “And that means merging the culture of institutions that are different in their purpose, their role in the community, and the way that they’re engaging people who experience their services. The provider room is a good bridge and we’ve done really done a good job blending those worlds and highlighting the best of each other. The focus for everyone is on stability, and we are centering on the perspectives and needs identified by the people in the program.” This approach has led to additional resources being provided, transportation assistance to the provider room, and design considerations for the infrastructure projects on site.

“Our organization values voice and choice, so it's all about listening, communication, and program development to reflect the needs of our people,” Blake says. “Things like the shuttle rides on Wednesday mornings, gardens, and even the building concept, that’s program development that came from the ideas and conversations with our community members. It’s about communication, and it’s iterative. We're just trying to find the thing that work and keep everyone in our community supported.”

Community member Otis is  among those who feel supported. “This program is giving me a way to hold my head up. It was one of the very few times in my life when I've ever had a judge tell me, ‘I'm very proud of you,” he says. “These people,” he says looking around at fellow community members and two CSS staffers, “make you want to give back.” 

“If anyone doubts it at all,” Whitney concurs, “just know that we appreciate the crap out of it.”

Dani suggests that newsletter readers can add to the new Common Room experience by donating DVDs for movie night—which Harley says is “every night.”