Deschutes County commissioners defend plans for managed homeless camp in S. Bend amid neighbors’ dismay

'This is not unregulated, free-for-all chaos,' Commissioner Phil Chang says

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County commissioners offered a strong defense Wednesday of the plans that surprised many southern Bend residents to create a managed, "supported" homeless camp for some of the homeless people who must move when the Hunnell Road encampment is cleared later this month.

The city-owned land in question sits on a "triangle" just south of Les Schwab Tire Center, next to the Murphy Road and Highway 97 roundabout.

The "support" in this case will come from a nonprofit service provider hired by the county to provide services, such as bathrooms and sewage hookups. The provider has not been named yet.

After public comment Wednesday morning, including a woman who blasted the city for mishandling the Hunnell Road situation and urged the county to reject the proposal, Commissioner Phil Chang said the managed camps will be the first in the region and will be vastly different from Hunnell Road, "an unauthorized, unplanned, unmanaged encampment."

It will have rules of conduct, screening, fencing and a gate closed overnight, except for emergencies, Chang explained.

"This is not unregulated, free-for-all chaos," he added. "This is a filtered, managed, supported process."

He said the managed camps will be only for those willing to take steps out of homelessness and those who are not "will not be authorized to relocate to a managed camp location."

He estimated 25 to 30 people could be supported at the Murphy Road site, in tents or RVs, and more locations will be needed for those seeking help and willing to abide by the rules.

Commissioner Patti Adair said they don't want to create more problems for residents and businesses in southern Bend.

South Side Pub owner Greg Farfaglia didn't want to appear on camera, but did share his concerns about a supported camp in the neighborhood. He said, "My concerns lie with the impact of business in the South Bend community, how this may affect my employees, and the overall community here in South Bend. We've been shown what happens at Hunnell Road."

A Bend resident, Lacie, was very passionate in her testimony during the meeting, and implored county commissioners to reject the proposal, unless it includes full-time security. She added that it's a matter of protecting the people of Bend living in the area now.

Commissioner Tony DeBone said for this kind of managed camp, "We're talking medically fragile people looking for help, safety and stability." The more troublesome types "won't want to go there anyway," he said, but it "will offer a safe, supportive environment."

The public comments and discussion can be viewed in the first 30 minutes of the Wednesday morning meeting's video.