Delegates from the Deschutes Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness, a group of 25 randomly selected residents from across the county, will present their recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council in Redmond this evening.
Delegates from the Deschutes Civic Assembly on Youth Homelessness, a group of 25 randomly selected residents from across the county, will present their recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council in Redmond this evening.
The Civic Assembly adopted 23 recommendations to help local decision makers prioritize community resources to address youth homelessness after meeting for 5 days in September and October. Delegates from across the political spectrum heard from experts and people with lived experience before reaching over 75% consensus on the recommendations.
The Assembly was a organized by the Central Oregon Civic Action Project (COCAP), a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Deschutes County, the City of Bend, the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, Oregon State University Cascades, and the nonprofits Healthy Democracy and DemocracyNext, supported by Ford Family Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation, Brooks Resources, the Rockefeller Foundation and numerous local donors.
According to COCAP Director Josh Burgess, “This assembly demonstrated that a group of everyday residents from across our community can work together to learn in-depth about a challenge and find common ground on important solutions. Similar citzen assemblies around the world have proven time and again to help rebuild trust in one another and local government while also strengthening community bonds.”
COIC Board meetings are open to the public and interested persons are encouraged to attend virtually or in-person. Agendas and packet materials are posted on COIC’s website at: coic.org/about/coic-board.
