Bend Pro Tem Mayor, Megan Perkins recently announced her re-election campaign for Bend City Council, Position 3.
Perkins has served on Bend city council since 2020. “I’m pleased with the progress we have made in adding 1000 new affordable homes, moving hundreds of people off the streets while doubling our shelter capacity, and tackling important discussions like community safety. I’m also proud of my work improving how we respond to bigotry and racism that is unfortunately still present in our community,” said Perkins. “There is more work to be done, and I’d be honored to continue to serve the city of Bend,” she said.
Perkins co-created the concept and was instrumental in pitching to State legislators a regional solutions approach to working collaboratively to tackle our homelessness crisis. Ultimately this approach was passed as a bill and is now part of this pilot program known as the Central Oregon Houseless Response Office (CHRO) of which Perkins is vice-chair. In 2024, Bend saw its first reduction in homeless count numbers in a decade.
“Megan Perkins has been a steadfast leader in responding to our homelessness crisis. She played a huge role in aiding the shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services that are moving people out of homelessness every day in our community” said Commissioner Phil Chang.
Perkins is a sixth generation Oregonian and a mom of three children. Perkins is the co-founder of Embrace Bend, a local nonprofit focusing on equity and community and has put her experience and passion to work in the past four years on the Council. Perkins is committed to building on the progress already made in the past four years to increase inclusivity and equity, create more affordable housing and promote safer neighborhoods around Bend.
