Redmond-area homeless campers look for new home

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were at a homeless camp on land east of Redmond on Tuesday, handing out final eviction notices.

From East Antler Road, there were only a few visibly remaining campsites, months after an effort to clear the land began. The campsites looked abandoned; one had a pile of things, and a sign in front that read “free.”

The eviction process has been in the works since last summer. The parcels are owned by the Redmond School District, the Central Oregon Irrigation District and Deschutes County.

People were informed last summer that an eviction would be coming and urged to leave. And now that the time has finally come, the groups involved are hopeful the transition for those who remain will be smooth.

Ken Cardwell, a member of Jericho Road’s board of directors, helps provide meals, propane and water to the area’s homeless community, and he’s hopeful the transition goes smoothly.

“There’s no big tension between the law enforcement and the people out there,” Cardwell said, adding that involved hope “that good vibes keep going and they leave peacefully and there’s no arrests and things like that.”

The people living on the land are still trying to figure out where to go.

“The closest would be to BLM property, which is only a stay of 14 days and they have to move. It’s way out there, it’s at least two miles from the city limits,” Cardwell said.

That distance is concerning for Jericho Road and other groups that provide help to the homeless people living on the land, because it will be more difficult to provide the people with the help they need if they are dispersed across the region.

The sheriff’s office said they’ve made contact with about 35 people so far. No arrests have been made or citations given, and they’ll continue reaching out to make sure everyone is making efforts to move out.

“It was only a couple that were really resistant and saying they weren’t going to leave and were pretty vocal,” Cardwell said. “The rest knew it was coming and are just trying to get their lives organized to get out of there.”

The sheriff’s office will continue to make contact with people and plans on starting cleanup efforts Wednesday.