Elected officials from the city of Bend and Deschutes County on Thursday took joint action on a package of homelessness actions including the closure of 1,000 of acres of public land to camping at Juniper Ridge north of Bend.

The unanimous vote was the result of a two-hour meeting between the seven members of the Bend City Council and three members of the Deschutes County Commission, at which the bodies hoped to align homelessness efforts under growing pressure from residents to find solutions for large, unmanaged camps on city and county land.

Officials approved with little modification the new strategy presented by city of Bend staff to designate 170 acres in Juniper Ridge as a temporary “safe stay” area, provide a surge of services and continue with fire fuel-reduction efforts.

The city and county aim to have the sanctioned camp in place by May 31, 2025, ahead of next fire season.

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That’s just enough time to organize services and other details and give enough notice to people living in dozens of camps scattered across city land. In November, the city plans to give notice of property closure and develop a plan to enforce the move. A 60-day relocation notice for remaining campers is scheduled for March.

Officials praised the collaborative effort on an issue that’s long been a thorn in the side of both governments.

They also said the plan approved Thursday for Juniper Ridge is not long-term.

“This is the common denominator,” said County Commissioner Tony DeBone. “We were all able to say ‘yes, let’s go do this.”’

“That’s our starting point. After that, we’re going to take a step forward and adjust as we go. We haven’t done this before,” he said.

“This is the start, not the end,” said Mayor Melanie Kebler.

“Is this a Band-Aid, yes, but it’s a really, really, really big Band-Aid and a huge step in stopping a situation that’s got increasingly worse,” said City Councilor Megan Perkins.

New urgency

Local officials had been talking about Juniper Ridge for a long time, Perkins said, but urgency increased after an Aug. 3 wildfire burned 87 acres and brushed neighborhoods in north Bend.

Investigators determined the blaze was sparked by a cooking fire in a homeless camp on private land near Juniper Ridge.

An estimated 200 people live on public land at Juniper Ridge in cars, RVs, tents and other shelters.

The new designated camping land will occupy the area where city and county parcels meet east of U.S. Highway 97 and west of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway tracks. That land already contains 70-80 established camps, while the swath of city land east of the tracks contains fewer than 20, according to data presented by city and county staff.

Consolidating camping to the west of the railroad tracks will provide easier access for emergency vehicles and service providers while moving people away from residential areas on land where fire risk is higher, said Matt Stuart, director of the city’s real estate department.

The county is already providing basic sanitation services on its portion of the land.

The county will also close acres of public land west of Highway 97, but is not aware of any people camping on that side of the highway, said Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp.

Commissioner Patti Adair said Friday she feels a designated camping area of 170 acres is too large, but she was still happy with the action from the meeting.

“We can’t keep ignoring this,” she said. “We’ve got to do something.”

The new strategy will hinge on two uncertainties: land use laws and funding.

Deschutes County legal counsel Dave Doyle advised commissioners Tuesday that state law does not allow managed homeless camps on land zoned for natural resources, while rules are less clear for land zoned for open space. Both types exist at Juniper Ridge.

An attempt to change the zone would likely face a legal challenge, he said.

“I don’t know if you could put a homeless facility there or not,” he said. “There’s certainly no case law to give us any guidance.”

Bend City Attorney Mary Winters advised the joint bodies Thursday about potential legal troubles of forcing homeless encampments closer together. If the consolidated camp results in dangerous conditions, it could constitute “state-related danger” and be subject to legal attack.

Similar cases are playing out in California, she said.

“If people feel unsafe, then you have to be able to adjust,” she said.

First action in a long time

Other than providing water, bathrooms and hygiene stations, the new plan would be the first actions government officials have take at Juniper Ridge since the county approved a plan to clear the area last summer.

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That plan was put into a holding pattern as the U.S. Supreme Court deliberated homeless camping rules in Grant’s Pass v. Johnson, then issued a decision that gave local governments confidence in enforcing camping laws.

Since last summer, the county has spent $229,000 on trash, water, toilet and security services at Juniper Ridge.

The city has spent $122,000 on cleanup and similar services.

Eric King, Bend city manager, said the procurement process to find a service provider for the site could go through the Coordinated Houseless Response Office, a regional homelessness board. The office conducted a similar process earlier this year when it solicited and ranked proposals for outdoor homeless shelters.

The $1.5 million of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding earmarked for those projects has not yet been awarded. Some of those funds, along with $500,000 of similar funding from the city and about the same amount from the homeless office are eligible for the new managed camp.

The Juniper Ridge consolidation parallels a separate county effort to create a similar managed camp in east Redmond and remove people living on 137 acres east of the city slated for a land swap with the state.

Thursday’s meeting also unveiled workings of a new plan to address homeless camping at China Hat Road southeast of Bend, including increased services and action from federal agencies.