There are 240 people in the community who moved from homelessness into a shelter or home after working with Church at the Park last year, according to its recent annual report.  That represents more than half of the 384 people who moved out of the organization’s microshelters last year. Most h ad been living unsheltered on Salem’s streets and in parks before moving in, said CEO DJ Vincent. He said comparable programs for people in such situations typically report a 20% to 40% success rate. That includes Susanne, who got the keys to her own place at Yaquina Hall in late November, after two years working to keep up with appointments and work toward housing, according to a Church at the Park Facebook post.The data comes from Church at the Park’s three microshelter sites serving hundreds of adults, families and young adults in Salem, and a fourth site in Polk County. They began operating microshelters in 2021.  At the sites, people stay in pods which can hold two single beds or bunk beds, with nearby toilets, showers and communal spaces.  There are 3,472 people on the waiting lists to move into the shelters, according to Church at the Park. The longest list, with 2,766 people, is for the Village of Hope site serving adults and seniors in Salem. The site is at 1280 Center St N.E., across the street from the central Salem Safeway. While staying at a Church at the Park microshelter, people get help connecting with work, health care and housing.The organization reported that last year, 168 people moved directly from the pods into a home of their own. Another 72 moved into a “positive destination,” which includes transitional housing and shelters where they can continue to get case management and support finding a home. The 128 people who moved into “negative destinations,” Vincent said, include those who were asked to leave over a lack of progress over six to nine months or did not follow expectations like keeping drugs and alcohol off the property. An additional 16 people left for an “unknown destination.” Beyond those who moved out, the report gives a glimpse of the challenges people face while working to escape homelessness. Seniors are becoming homeless at an increasing rate, as are families with children. Of the 609 people who stayed at a Church at the Park microshelter last year, 68 were seniors and 190 were children under 18.Vincent said economics are the major driver of homelessness. Seniors are often on a fixed income.“We’re all aware that expenses are going up. Everything from your groceries to utilities, to – even if a landlord is just pushing (rent) up that state (maximum) amount of 9.5% – that’s a huge impact on fixed income,” Vincent said.  He said that, to help reach the seniors losing their homes, Church at the Park works with the city’s senior center, Center 50+. Often, referrals come when a senior reaches out to Northwest Human Services or the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency for help paying utilities, housing or looking for somewhere to safely park their car after they lose their home.“We prioritize people based on age, and so that’s, in some way, how we end up serving such a high amount of elderly folks, because we do see their high vulnerability,” Vincent said.  Many of the shelter residents reported having one or multiple disabilities. There were 215 who reported a mental health disorder, 146 with a chronic health condition, 140 with a physical disability and 93 with a developmental disability.That lines up with nationwide data, showing that about four out of 10 people experiencing homelessness also have a disability.“Yes, economics is the number one driver (of homelessness). But then, not far behind are these health challenges, mental health, physical health challenges. And so these numbers are really important to us, to keep an eye on them,” Vincent said. Vincent said the high rate of people with disabilities means a high need for services and partners in the community. It’s also why Church at the Park recently upgraded its adult microshelter site with ADA accessible walking paths, Vincent said. That site is nearing completion for an expansion adding 32 shelter beds. Within the next six weeks, the site will finish work to add more sinks, an additional shower trailer and a bike storage and repair area, in partnership with the Northwest Hub, Vincent said. A share of residents reported challenges with alcohol and substance use. Eleven people reported an alcohol use disorder, 68 reported a drug use disorder and 23 reported both. Vincent said that there was a higher share of people with such challenges at the adult sites compared to the family and young adult sites.Those who left for treatment and recovery programs, like Soaring Heights Recovery Homes, were recorded as going to a positive destination. “We recognize that folks with that challenge need treatment, they need sobriety, they need recovery and we’re seeking to create the conditions for them to get that treatment and to move into that recovery program,” Vincent said. “We see that that number and percentage is smaller than the mental and physical health percentage, and so that stands out to me.” In the coming year, Church at the Park will continue to face budget cuts from the state, which last year led the organization to lay off 16 people and reduced its capacity at the young adult site from 38 to 19 beds. Earlier this month, the organization laid off three additional outreach staff who worked to meet people in the community and connect them with shelter. Vincent said upcoming projects this year include breaking ground on the training kitchen to help young adults build work skills while providing meals for those in the shelters. Despite the cut to the outreach staff, Vincent said he expects their programs will remain at capacity. “We don’t expect the city, county or state to say ‘Oh, here’s more dollars for sheltering,’ or ‘We want you to open another shelter.’ That doesn’t seem like something anyone has any capacity for. So we’re looking to deepen and build our capacity for how we can help the people we are sheltering,” Vincent said.Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. LOCAL NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU: Subscribe to Salem Reporter and get all the fact-based Salem news that matters to you. Fair, accurate, trusted – SUBSCRIBE. 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