Deschutes board to review draft concepts for managed homeless camp near Oasis Village east of 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.
Matthew Draxton is attending the commissioners' meeting to hear their continued discussions and if any decisions are made on the the next steps are for moving the homeless to a new parcel of land. They'll be hearing details and asking questions about three draft concepts aimed at progress on the long-discussed project.
His report will be on NewsChannel 21 on Fox at Four and on NBC at 6:30.
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
