After more than two years of serving meals outside in the winter, frustration with city officials and construction delays, Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice is back inside its longtime home

By Sydney Seymour, Ashland.news

A group of volunteers returned to Ashland’s historic Pioneer Hall this month, serving food and providing warmth for anyone in need at 3:30 p.m. Thursdays until April. 

Ashland Community Peace Meal — weekly, free and cooked meals organized by nonprofit Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice (SOJWJ) — had operated out of Pioneer Hall for roughly eight years before the city denied the group access to the building in 2023 due to safety concerns with the structure, as previously reported by Ashland.news.

“We lost the home to our meals,” Jason Houk of SOJWJ said in a phone call to Ashland.news. 

Over two years without access to Pioneer Hall forced the group to serve meals outside regardless of the temperature. Peace Meal typically serves 40 to 60 individuals each week in the gazebo at Lithia Park, but attendance dropped during winter months as seniors and people with disabilities couldn’t come because of the cold, Jason Houk said. 

Pioneer Hall, a historic log cabin built in 1921, closed for structural upgrades and refurbishment in 2019. SOJWJ used the space until 2023 as construction didn’t begin until mid-2024. The building reopened earlier this month, as reported by Ashland.news. 

“Pioneer Hall has traditionally been a sanctuary for the homeless community,” Jason Houk said. “People may come and go, but when they came back, they always knew that if they could make it to Pioneer Hall, they would be in a safe space.” 

Located across from Lithia Park and near bus stops, Pioneer Hall, Houk says, is the only city building that meets the needs of who they serve: low-income families and people facing homelessness. 

The Ashland Community Center, which has been closed for seven years due to structural issues, is the only other city building with a commercial kitchen and isn’t scheduled to reopen until March. The Ashland Parks & Recreation Department spent $2.1 million to remodel both the Pioneer Hall and the Ashland Community Center, as reported by Ashland.news.

Jason Houk and wife Vanessa Houk, who serves as the executive director for SOJWJ, paid just shy of $1,000 to rent Pioneer Hall on Thursdays through April 1. They have access to the space from 3 to 6 p.m. and invite anyone who wants to check it out or even get a tour. They continue to work with the city to also secure Fridays. 

A challenging journey home 

The long-awaited reopening of Pioneer Hall was frustrating, Jason Houk explained. 

After being barred from using the building in 2023, the organization would ask city officials about the status of the repairs but were met with push backs. In October that year, Mayor Tonya Graham wrote in an email to Jason Houk that the repairs were “taking longer than expected to get underway,” as reported by Ashland.news. 

The Houks worked with the city manager to brainstorm solutions, but were turned down at every request to use Pioneer Hall for weekly community meals. Jason Houk mentioned city officials told them to consider a future without Pioneer Hall. SOJWJ rallied outside Ashland Plaza, as reported by Ashland.news, eating pizza in the cold to raise awareness of the locked doors at Pioneer Hall and what it’s like to eat dinner outside.

“Having lost access to the space was really hard,” Jason Houk said in the phone call. “And then to feel that we would never get that space ever again was even harder.” 

Regaining access to Pioneer Hall, Jason Houk said, is “like we’re all coming home.” He also hopes to rebuild a strong working relationship with the city to ensure community needs are being met — something he said was lost over the years in the back-and-forth about Pioneer Hall. 

After losing their own house to the Almeda Fire, Vanessa Houk previously told Ashland.news that her work with SOJWJ helped her move forward. Pioneer Hall also helped in that way.

“Even after the fire, we had such a connection to that hall,” she said in a phone call with Ashland.news. “Being able to be in there after that happened was a really important piece for me.” 

The Houks have also hosted community meetings, wedding receptions and memorials at Pioneer Hall through SOJWJ. “I’ve watched people find a pathway to recovery. I’ve seen brand new babies being held for the first time,” Vanessa Houk said. “We’ve had birthday parties — some were the last birthday parties that people have had in their lives.” 

Vanessa Houk continued, “Our entire community has had many life-changing events happen there. We all have a sense of ownership to it.” 

Peace Meals are served in Pioneer Hall on Thursdays and the gazebo in Lithia Park on Fridays at 3:30 p.m. In addition to the meals at Pioneer Hall on Thursday, there will be “giving tables” where attendees can take clothing and other available items. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Sydney Seymour at sydneyseymourr@gmail.com.

Related stories: 

Pioneer Hall scheduled to re-open Jan. 2 (Dec. 23, 2025)

10th annual holiday party and feast for all set for Saturday (Dec. 17, 2025)

Ashland community volunteer receives $25K national award (Dec. 9, 2025)

Full spirits, full bellies at 10th annual Thanksgiving Peace Meal (Nov. 28, 2025)

Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice announces its 10th annual Thanksgiving Community Peace Meal (Nov. 22, 2025)
Local nonprofit offers de-escalation and conflict prevention tips (Sept. 29, 2025)

Refurbishment and structural upgrade work complete at Pioneer Hall (Aug. 1, 2025)

Hundreds share Thanksgiving Community Peace Meal (Nov. 29, 2024)

8th annual Holiday Peace Meal: ‘Coming together like this is part of how we heal’ (Dec. 25, 2023)

Viewpoint: We should be using Pioneer Hall now to feed the unhoused and hungry (Dec. 20, 2023)

Pioneer Hall too hazardous for use now, says acting city manager (Dec. 12, 2023)

Reopen Pioneer Hall for Peace Meals, supporters say at Plaza rally (Dec. 11, 2023)