Redmond councilors give the nod to microshelters at safe parking sites
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- At the Redmond City Council meeting on Tuesday night, the hot topic on the agenda was updating the Safe Parking Program ordinance.
In front of a jam-packed, standing-room-only council chamber, the Redmond City Council approved, amending Ordinance No. 2024-16, which will allow a limited number of microshelters at managed Safe Parking Program sites in Redmond.
There wasn’t a single community member that came out against amending the ordinance.
These microshelters, also known as pods, are a part of a pilot program through the city’s Safe Parking Program.
The microshelters are another avenue to combat homelessness, and will be managed and maintained by Mountain View Community Development, a non-profit organization.
What exactly are microshelters?
Rick Russell, executive director of Mountain View Community Development, said, “A microshelter is a small garden shed-size structure, probably less than 100 square feet. It has a bed. It has a little bit of storage. It has a heater and an air conditioner, has a plug and a light. It does not have plumbing in it. So it's a very basic structure for someone to live in, gain stability, and then move on to more stable housing.”
Redmond’s Safe Parking Program was established in 2021, allowing overnight camping and transitional overnight parking as a service to assist people with transitioning out of homelessness.
The city will now allow a total of eight microshelters at some of the nonprofit’s safe parking sites.
Mayor Ed Fitch says amending the ordinance to include micro-shelters, was a no-brainer for the city.
“Getting people out of cars or off the street and into a safe, warm environment. That's duck soup," he said. "I mean, we really need to do that and help them get on back into some type of permanent housing.”
Now that the city ordinance has been approved and updated, Mayor Fitch says these microshelters or pods should be constructed and in place in the next few months.