6 People transition out of Medford’s temporary homeless campground to the Kelly shelter

Click here for updates on this story

    MEDFORD, OR ( KDRV) — The temporary homeless campground in Medford has already seen some success. Six people have transitioned to the Kelly Shelter.

The campground has been full everyday since it opened on Monday, July 27th. It’s also full of volunteers, agencies and services. “I’m surprised by the number of volunteers that come in and say here have this and stepping up to help out.” said Mike Minihan. He is one of the 28 people living at the campground. He moved in on the 27th. He was living on the streets before he moved to the campground. “Restarting, yeah.” said Minihan.

Minihan shared his story with NewsWatch 12. He had a problem with drugs. It got him kicked out of the shelter he was in before. When he move to the campground, you could say On Track became his new neighbor. It’s a program to help people with addiction recovery. “I mean have them right there on the spot.” said Minihan. He says it was much easier to sign up, because they were right there.

Minihan also shared how he got to this position. He said what happened to him has happened to most people at the campground. “Lot of us got one paycheck short, two paycheck shorts and here we are.” said Minihan.

He says he is grateful for the opportunity to get back on his feet. “Thank you to those that are helping. Thank you to those who are actually trying to understand.” said Minihan.

Now that he is situated at his new home and signed up with On Track, he is looking for a job. NewsWatch 12 asked Minihan why he agreed to talk on camera. “We are not all bad guys out here, I think is my message.” said Minihan.

The temporary homeless campground in Medford will remain open until the end of September.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.