City of Bend ‘playing catch up’ with homelessness; council posting possible solutions

(Update: Adding video, Perkins comments)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend city councilors have posted a long list of active and possible solutions to address the houseless situation.

Councilor Megan Perkins said Thursday they want to be transparent with the public, while extending an invitation for more ideas.

“I hope that we can all focus on solutions, so that we can have a change in our community, rather than just saying no,” Perkins said. 

The update discusses the Veterans Village, which opened on Veterans Day, the Project Turnkey hotel project on Division Street in northeast Bend, which should be renovated in the next year and provide 30 rooms, managed campsites and more.

Managed campsites have a specific set of parameters that include 24-hour services and outreach with neighbors.  

“There is no top candidate, in terms of city-owned land. We are waiting to hear back from our service providers, to tell us what they need to make something work,” Perkins said. 

The city also has $2.5 million in state money to put toward a "navigation center," which would be a shelter with resources like job training, showers and mail collection. But they're still looking for a location.

“So it’s a really great resource for our city," Perkins said. "We just need to find the space to have it in.”

Perkins emphasized that the priority of any solution is safety, including enforcement of the law.

“Well, all of these shelters have rules, and just like in an unmanaged camp or encampment. you have to follow the rules of our city,” Perkins said. 

Perkins said there are nearly 1,000 people experiencing homelessness in Central Oregon, and their goal is to develop facilities for half that. 

“So there's a lot of things we’re playing catch-up on right now,” Perkins said. 

In the meantime, she encourages residents to recognize the houseless as members of our community in need, and to help the city in finding solutions.

“We just can’t be moving people simply for camping and not having anywhere else to go,” Perkins said. 

The initial post includes the following solutions:

• Veterans Village is now open as of Veterans Day! This is a huge step forward for our community.
• The hotel on Division Street that we purchased with Project Turnkey money is almost done with renovations and will have 30 units of transitional housing.
• Outdoor shelter sites. This is important: Every single potential outdoor shelter site is going to go through this “request for proposals” process. The request for proposals is out for service providers to tell us their vision for an outdoor shelter in Bend. Once we have responses in, we will see if there are any matches between City-owned land and the needs or vision of the service provider. Requirements for outdoor shelters will include: 
  • 24-hour management,
  • fencing,
  • outreach with surrounding neighborhoods; outreach is the role of the service provider, since they will be operating, managing, creating this shelter (not the city), 
  • management plans for safety of clients and neighborhoods, 
  • restrooms, showers, food, storage, trash removal, case management and more. 
  • Again, every single potential outdoor shelter site is going to go through this process. 

• A Navigation Center; a request for proposal will go out later this week. That’s another shelter and a day resource center funded by $2.5M from the state. There’s no location identified yet but we are actively looking. 
• Changing Bend’s Development Code to increase temporary housing options. The Sounding Board to House Our Neighbors made recommendations on a package of amendments to the Bend Development Code to allow varying shelter types citywide.  Proposed amendments will go to the Planning Commission on January 10 for a work session and on January 24 for a public hearing.
• We are also going to fund a contract with REACH Out Central Oregon for mobile outreach to help those living in unsanctioned camps to help people transition out of houselessness. 
• We are providing fire prevention information, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and safe heat sources to individuals in vehicles along Hunnell and Clausen roads. And at our last meeting, we heard about the steps the City is taking, working with service providers, to work on trash, safety issues and prepare for winter.