Zechariah Boesman was homeless for most of his life.

He spent his childhood touring practically “every homeless shelter across America” and landed as an adult in Oregon, where he lived on the streets until a workplace injury convinced him to apply for a tiny home with Community Supported Shelters.

Four years later, Boesman now works as a maintenance technician for the Eugene nonprofit, helping to refurnish the canvas-covered structures called “Conestoga Huts” because their curved roofs resemble the wagons used by settlers on the Oregon Trail.

> Donate to Community Supported Shelters or the Season of Sharing general fund. You can also Text the code Season2025 to 44-321.

“It’s like a stepping stool, and it makes you feel like a human,” Boesman, 45, said of living in one of the huts. “It’s just refreshing to know that this organization takes the time and cares the way they do.”

Founded in 2013 as a way to add housing to underused church parking lots, Community Supported Shelters now oversees 171 huts in 14 scattered sites across Eugene. The nonprofit runs on a shoestring budget of roughly $2.5 million.

The charity is a beneficiary of The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2025 Season of Sharing holiday fundraising campaign. And as it happens, Community Supported Shelters is in the midst of a major capital campaign to upgrade its headquarters.

At present, Community Supported Shelters operates out of a former workshop, with corrugated metal walls and a wood-burning stove for central heating. The nonprofit has about 40 employees but only room for five or six desks, and just three dedicated parking spots.

The organization purchased the former Oregon Department of Driver and Motor Vehicle Services building, 2870 W. 10th Place, for about $1.3 million earlier this year — but is hoping to raise more funds for renovations.

Community Supported Shelters will continue to operate a separate Access Center on West 11th Avenue, where those living on the streets can take a shower, do their laundry or get a haircut. Vital supplies, ranging from food to the anti-overdose drug Narcan, are also provided.

A team of five service navigators never knows who might walk through the door of the Access Center, according to Mellinda Poor, who oversees the team. Some days might start with convincing someone to go to urgent care or triaging a mental health crisis.

“It’s really about addressing all of their needs, because that is how people move forward and stabilize and become successful,” Poor said.

Her team also helps homeless clients with paperwork, job applications or help put them on a housing waitlist, which typically stretches for two to three years for Section 8 vouchers.

The wait is often shorter for one of the nonprofit’s huts. They have no heating or air conditioning — electricity, when it is available, is provided by solar panels — but offer 60 square-feet of living space behind a locking door.

On a recent visit to one of the nonprofits’ Safe Spot Communities, several rows of Conestoga huts were nestled between the city’s Skinner Butte Park and the elevated spur of Interstate 105.

One resident walked his dog, as both pets and partners are allowed. The shelters are considered “low barrier,” because sobriety is not required.

“A lot of folks think that people are unhoused because they have sobriety issues, and it’s typically the opposite,” co-executive director Heather Quaas-Annsa said. “They struggle with substance use because they’re unhoused.”

D.J. Williams is a former resident who’s now making rent on a market-rate townhome — but only thanks to his hustle. The 40-year-old runs his own janitorial business and works as a dishwasher at two local restaurants on the side.

Williams said having the hut made working easier, because he knew his belongings wouldn’t be stolen while he was away.

“I’m a self-motivated person,” he said, “so I just needed somewhere to lay my head.”

What your donation can do

$10: Covers the cost of one housing application to a private landlord, thanks to a recent ordinance passed by the Eugene City Council.

$50: Funds a cell phone to an unhoused community member, which is crucial for staying on top of appointments, accessing medical care and applying for jobs.

$100: Provides a warm meal for 20 people, or roughly the entire community at one of Community Supported Shelters’ Safe Spot Communities.