Visit Pedal Power Partnership for more information about the program.

To be counted:

• Call 2-1-1 (or 866-698-6155) 8-6pm on January 30
• Call 503-687-1481 (toll-free) anytime on January 30
• Visit your nearest shelter, pantry, or service provider

In McMinnville:
Visit St. Barnabas Soup Kitchen for meals and other services.
8-10AM – Breakfast
9am-1pm – FREE Emergency Dental Services Provided
4-6PM – Dinner

In Newberg:
Visit River Street Church of God for dinner and other services.
6-7PM – Dinner

For more information on the Homeless Count, call 211 or contact Lindsay Combs at 503-883-4176 or

This is what Hailey has to say about YCAP:

I have chosen the Yamhill Community Action Partnership (YCAP). They provide services for Yamhill County’s most at risk individuals including low-income residents, seniors, those with disabilities and fixed incomes, survivors of domestic violence, migrant families, and at-risk youth.

YCAP provides food and organizational support to many food banks throughout the county. Additionally they operate 3 shelter homes and housing services which include case management, rental assistance, and transitional shelters. Transit services are also provided including a Dial-a-Ride. Finally, they provide youth outreach which includes mentoring, tutoring, emergency shelter, support groups, case management, leadership development, drug prevention programs, and many others.

As a lifelong resident of Yamhill County, I have seen all of the amazing work YCAP has done for the community. These are vital services provided to individuals who often have nowhere else to turn. This year’s Yamhill County homeless count found 815 people getting by with a makeshift shelter, up from 747 last year. There are only 250 emergency or transitional shelter beds available throughout the county, which leaves many people without a place to go. Once I heard these facts it became clear that YCAP would be an amazing organization for Dobbes Family Estate to support.

I’m very excited to have our featured wine come from Yamhill County as well. For this quarter we’re featuring the 2008 Youngberg Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. A portion of the sale of each bottle of this wine will be donated to support YCAP and all the work they do throughout the county. Thank you for your support.

THANK YOU HAILEY AND DOBBES FAMILY ESTATE!

Read the News-Register’s complete event coverage.

Of the News-Register

Participants in this year’s Yamhill County homeless count tallied 815 people getting by with some form of makeshift shelter, up from 747 last year.

However, Lee Means, executive director of the Yamhill Community Action Partnership, thinks that may reflect more accurate and efficient counting and a different approach to compilation of data rather than an actual rise in numbers.

Of the 815 people counted by the volunteers, 382 were under the age of 18 – 47 percent, or almost half. Only 203 – 26 percent, or about one quarter – were in some type of emergency or transitional housing.

The crew counted 381 males and 433 females. Its tally included 58 children in the 0 to 5 age range, 203 in the 6 to 11 age range and 121 in the 12 to 17 age range.

Some 324 of those contacted by counters agreed to answer questions designed to get a better understanding on the characteristics and needs of the local population. Some 26.5 percent indicated that they had suffered a disability, 26 percent that they had fallen victim to domestic violence and 9 percent that they had served in the armed forces.

As reasons for their homeless status, they cited lack of rent money, unemployment, drug or alcohol addictions, evictions by friends, relatives or landlords, criminal histories, flights from domestic violence, poor rental histories and medical problems.

“We’re still seeing a huge issue,” Means said. “It’s not going away. There’s still a significant segment out there because we’re in the middle of a bad recession that doesn’t seem to be going away.”

Means becomes even more concerned when she reads about layoffs in both the public and private sector, and thinks about those serving abroad in the military who are now returning home. She noted that while National Guardsmen can typically return to their old jobs, that leaves others without employment.

Means said her agency was beginning to run out of funds supplied under President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided low-income residents with weatherization money, serving to cut their utility bills, conserve energy, ease fossil fuel depletion and employ construction workers.

The program, she said, had been a big success, helping contractors provide jobs while helping low-income residents reduce their utility bills and strike a blow for energy conservation and environmental protection.

Means also noted there are only about 250 emergency or transitional shelter beds available countywide. That leaves a lot of homeless people looking at other options, including couch surfing, living in cars or erecting makeshift shelters in the cold.

And funding for such beds has been cut back badly in both state and federal budgets, she said.

YCAP itself operates three transitional shelters, and Means said the waiting list is up 119 percent from three years ago.

The agency ran a deficit of about $20,000 on its shelter program last year and is suffering a like fate so far this year. But Means said YCAP has decided to persevere.

“There are too many families who desperately need help to get on their feet again,” she said. “We don’t feel we can close shelters at this time.”

YCAP also houses families, not just individuals. It typically has 10 or 11 families in its shelters at any one time.

Means said the catch phrase in helping the homeless is “housing first.” Helping agencies need somewhere to place individuals, even those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, where other services can be included, she said.

Without such an option, she said, many end up on our streets, in our jails or in our hospital emergency rooms, which ends up costing us a great deal more in the long run.

“It’s a lot cheaper to house them,” Means said. “People don’t realize the cost of having this many homeless on the street. It’s phenomenal.”

More than 50 volunteers contributed more than 200 hours to complete the count. They identified people in shelters, schools and street locales.

To conduct the street portion of the count, volunteers checked known homeless camps, as well as bus stops, meal sites, laundromats and other places where the homeless are known to gather.

See story at NewsRegister.com

Momokawa Sake Dinner to Benefit YCAP
Wednesday April 18th 6:30 pm

Stand Up Appetizers:
Grilled Arancini with Spring Pea and Goat cheese
Tostones, Smoked Scallop Mousse, Pickled Mushroom Salad
Yucca Frites with Green Harissa Ketchup
Kafir Lime Sake-tini

First Course:
Herb Roasted Salmon, Grilled Chayote, Avocado, Frisee, Green Goddess Salad
Momokawa Pearl

Second Course:
Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Basil-Lime Risotto, Anise Scented Jus, Toasted
Coconut-Nori Gremolata
Momokawa Ruby

Third Course:
Espresso Spice Cake, Citrus Ganache, Mango Curd Ice Cream
Momokawa Nigori

The observance of the 20-year anniversary for Tina’s has inspired a new focus on the future of the restaurant. Tasked with preserving a sense of well-earned tradition while also continuing to elevate and modernize their cuisine, chefs David, Tina, and Abby have started the new year paying special attention to gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian menu options. Rather than looking back on a successful run of twenty years, Tina and David are embracing the challenge of continuing to evolve as the intersection of the bounty of the valley and the lucky people who enjoy it.

THISTLE
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Grain and Grain & Heater Allen
$100 per person
RSVP: 503.472.9623
www.thistlerestaurant.com

TINA’s
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Momokawa Sake Dinner
$65 per person
RSVP: 503.538.8880
www.tinasdundee.com
Click here for menu.