Commissioners split 2-1 on motion to move forward with managed homeless camp in Redmond

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County commissioners are diving once again Monday afternoon into the complex issues of trying to create a managed homeless camp on county-owned land along Highway 126 east of Redmond, to move dozens south from a parcel they've been trying to exchange with the state for years.

The three proposed options for a managed camp, as outlined by Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp (see below), would have different levels of services, from basic hygiene and room for service providers to basic camp sites and a camp host, and finally a fully managed camp staffed by a nonprofit.

"We haven't seen any of these successful anywhere," said Commissioner Debone in regard to managed homeless camps.

"We have, the Veterans Village have been phenomenal, and the Oasis Village is working," Commissioner Adair rebutted.

"We have wildfires starting all around us, we have unsanctioned camping happening all around us," Debone said as examples of how the homeless issues in Central Oregon have worsened.

Currently, there are homeless living in the blue shaded areas (see below), they must be relocated due to a land swap between the county and state. Shaded in green (see below) is the 45 acres of county property where these individuals will be relocated to.

It's in east Redmond just north of the current Oasis Village. County commissioners are deciding on what type of services to provide here. 

County commissioners heard from he Deputy County Administrator three different concepts to relocate individuals. One option is to provide basic services and have individuals be dispersed throughout the 45 acres. The other two options include either creating a basic campsite with some services or a full managed camp

"If we want people to be moving out of homelessness, you know, to reintegrate into society, how about, you know, have a code of conduct that they're following to, you know, have some kind of communal experience with other people, I think we need invest a little bit more in the development," said Commissioner Chang as a reason for his support of having a supportive/managed camp.

"We don't need to have them go to 45 an d have a free for all, I think we should start at concept 2," said Commissioner Adair.

Commissioner Chang and Adair both voted yes to motion to concept 2 while Commissioner Debone voted against it. He wants a more comprehensive effective solution

"We should have started with concept 1, and work toward 2 and 3," said Commissioner Debone. "I think it just got way too complicated. We're gonna spend way too much money. we should start with a very simple plan. Asking people to move, getting somebody to move from one location to another is a huge, monumental task in itself. " 

The final motion directed county staff to draft a request for proposal for development and operations of a supportive or managed camp. It also directed the city of Redmond to work with service provides  to gain a better  understanding of what services could be offered.

From Kropp's memorandum:

In Spring 2023, DSL informed the County that in order for the land exchange to move forward, the
County’s 137 acres would need to be clear of people living on the property and free of debris.
County staff began planning for a notification and removal of people living on the 137 acres.
However, this effort was paused for the following reasons:

• The need for County staff to address code enforcement violations on County-owned property in Juniper Ridge.
• Not having an alternative location for people to relocate to; and
• To allow for projects funded by the Governor’s Executive Order 23-02 Declaring a State of Emergency Due to Homelessness to come online and add beds to the housing continuum