Bethlehem Inn, a shelter that opened in 2022 in Redmond, closed at least temporarily in October.

The way government deals with homelessness in Deschutes County may emerge changed after a meeting Wednesday. Deschutes County commissioners are planning to discuss a collaborative agreement on homelessness between the county, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office and the cities of Bend and Redmond.

Will the agreement work? Will it stick? Shouldn’t they already have one?

Those are good questions, but let’s look at what it would be. The draft agreement is no revolution — more a needed evolution, which provides more clarity of roles. The county, in particular, would be taking a step up.

The role of the governor’s office would be fairly straightforward, though no less challenging. It would be to look for state-owned land for safe parking sites and outdoor shelters. It could work to remove barriers to sites and shelters, shepherd funding requests and provide other leadership.

The cities of Bend and Redmond would partner for investments to develop sites — particularly on public lands — and continue to work on affordable housing within their boundaries.

The Deschutes County Commission, as you may remember, balked earlier this year when a possible homeless camp was proposed on the south end of Bend near the Les Schwab Tire Center. There were many reasons, including public pressure, safety concerns, questions about the role of county government. Commissioners gave some initial support — or at least no outright opposition. Commissioners Tony DeBone and Patti Adair came back a week later with a hard no.

One issue was, in fact, if the county should be the lead contractor with a service provider for a homeless camp. In the draft of the collaborative agreement, the county would do that.

“The County supports the development of authorized camping spaces, including safe parking and managed outdoor shelter facilities,” the draft agreement says. “The County will take the lead to contract with a service provider(s) to establish and operate a managed outdoor shelter facility/facilities.”

Homeless issues cut across governments, nonprofits, law enforcement, families and health care providers. Everybody has a piece of it and has an interest in finding solutions. But the lines of responsibility and leadership are fuzzy. The agreement could be a defuzzer.