Roseburg, Ore. - When it comes to outreach, Kimetha Stallings is no stranger to going the extra mile – or even scaling the occasional ditch. As executive director of Onward Roseburg in southern Oregon, Stallings leads with compassion and tenacity, working to connect people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing solutions.
Her journey into advocacy began at Roseburg’s Dream Center, where she volunteered in the homeless outreach program. “I got to know close to 90 percent of the people who lived in the camps then,” Stallings recalled. “But now, homelessness has exploded. I go back to the camps, and I rarely recognize anyone.”
Her empathy is rooted in lived experience. Stallings once battled addiction and faced periods of homelessness herself, before finding stability and purpose through education. “I owe it all to Umpqua Community College,” she said. “If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know what would have happened.” Later, she earned her degree from Portland State University and launched Onward Roseburg in February 2020.
Onward Roseburg—recently awarded grant funding from the Avista Foundation—focuses on moving people beyond survival. “I don’t support homelessness. I support housing,” Stallings emphasized. “I don’t do tents and tarps. We do clothing donations, and I get medical supplies like bandages and antibiotics. But my goal is always to help people transition into homes.”
Outreach is the heart of her work. Stallings walks through parks and encampments, building trust one conversation at a time. It was through this kind of connection that she discovered a man lying in a ditch near the train tracks – immobilized by pain and unable to seek help on his own. “We only found him because of outreach,” she said. “That trust made all the difference.”
At its peak, Onward Roseburg helped forty people find housing in a single year. But today, Stallings faces new challenges, from dwindling resources to changing government programs.
Still, she remains unwavering in her mission. “It takes a certain type of person to work in a homeless camp, to advocate for someone at the ER or the DMV,” Stallings said. “That’s how I help. I walk alongside them.”
At Avista, we recognize our unique position gives us the chance to contribute in an impactful way and make a real difference in people’s lives. Since 2002, the Avista Foundation has made grants totaling over $17 million to organizations that support vulnerable and limited income populations, education, and economic and cultural vitality. The foundation is a separate, non-profit organization established by Avista Corp., and does not receive funding from Avista Utilities’ customers through rates. For more information on grant applications and geographical areas covered, please visit avistafoundation.com.