Rogue River Highway’s OnTrack Approved By Grants Pass City Council

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Rogue Valley’s proposal for an OnTrack facility at plots 688 and 690 Rogue River Highway was approved at a Grants Pass city council meeting held on Wednesday night.

Residents, council members, and an engineer at the meeting all gave input about the proposal which was then passed unanimously. All who attended the meeting approved of OnTracks’ proposal to treat substance abuse disorder, with no person raising disapproval. The project was granted $980,000 from the Department of Administrative Services in February last year.

The two lots, both of which have buildings, are directly on Rogue River Highway. A run-down residential building will be torn down to make way for a new facility with emergency lodging and pre-treatment to cater to the hundreds of people on OnTrack’s waiting list.

The Executive Director of OnTrack Rogue Valley, Sommer Wolcott, said that they are excited that the City Council approved their plans for an Emergency Lodging program in Grants Pass unanimously. As part of the continuum of care OnTrack provides in Southern Oregon, the program is a nonprofit with a comprehensive substance use disorder and behavioral health treatment facility that provides outpatient and residential treatment in Josephine and Jackson Counties.

This offers people the opportunity to access safe housing with supportive services and includes case management and peer support that is available while waiting for a treatment bed. Wolcott said that they are grateful to the Grants Pass City Council for their support of their efforts to provide treatment in Josephine County as part of the project and extended this gratitude to the community members for their support.

The head of the engineering company overseeing the project, Justin Gerlitz, confirmed that the guidelines on residence in the proposal ban alcohol, drugs, and weapons.  He said that aside from this, no visitors are permitted and there is a specific curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.  Gerlitz said.  Said that Emergency Lodging is a specific treatment facility for very specific people. Those at the facility will be there to improve their lives and get better. He said, “This is not a come-and-go facility.”

Scheduled to open between summer and fall 2024, the Grants Pass Emergency Lodging location will provide 12 single occupancy beds with shared living spaces.  On the second floor of the site there will be six ADA accessible beds and the outpatient treatment services that are currently offered in Grants Pass will also be moving to the new location.

OnTrack’s housing programs can be accessed here.