During a joint meeting on Thursday, September 4, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners and the Bend City Council unanimously approved a strategy to address dispersed camping at Juniper Ridge. The governing boards agreed to establish a Temporary Safe Stay Area and work collaboratively to mitigate the public health and safety threats in the community.
The goals of establishing the Temporary Safe Stay Area are to help protect community members, both housed and unhoused, by increasing security and lessening the impacts on the environment from trash and wildfire. The proposed 170-acre area will be located east of Highway 97 and west of the railroad tracks and includes 50 acres of County-owned land and 120 acres of City-owned land.
The Board and Council agreed to move individuals camping in Juniper Ridge to the Temporary Safe Stay Area and implement a full closure of City and County-owned land outside of the established location by May 31, 2025.
“This joint agency agreement is a start to addressing a very difficult issue in our community,” said County Commissioner Chair Patti Adair. “We appreciate being able to work collaboratively with the City of Bend and all of our agency partners to work towards a solution.”
“It’s imperative that our County Commission and City Council work together to create more safety in Juniper Ridge while providing services and pathways out of homelessness for those who are living on public lands,” said City of Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler. “I’m very pleased that we were able to come together in our Joint Meeting and take action for our community.”
The joint agency agreement allows services like drinking water stations, trash receptacles and portable toilets to be continued and expands the security presence in the area. The City and County will also work with housing-related service providers to offer intensive case management, with a focus on safety and key performance metrics, including a monthly follow-up for six months to reduce housing barriers and help individuals transition into more permanent housing.
County and City staff will begin to examine the legal and land use issues associated with implementing the joint agreement. The two bodies approved continued coordination on fire fuel reduction and other fire reduction strategies as part of the management plan.
County and City officials also agreed to continue working with the Coordinated Houselessness Response Office (CHRO) to allocate and leverage county-wide resources to assist in case management and operations for temporary safe stay areas and a coordinated approach.
Other topics discussed during the joint meeting included the City and County growth plans, managed camp strategies in cooperation with CHRO, an update on the County Landfill Siting and oversight of Waste Hauler Franchisees.
