James Cook

Last winter, more than a thousand people — men and women, families and unaccompanied youth — sought safety and warmth through the Central Oregon shelter network. Hundreds more spent cold nights in vehicles on our streets, in hidden corners of our cities and in makeshift camps on our public lands.

These people are our neighbors. Over 60% lived in Central Oregon before they became homeless, and 84% were Oregon residents. Today, in the midst of a pandemic, many of us are much closer to sharing their experience than we want to believe. Over half of all renters in Deschutes County are considered rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing, and nearly half that number spend more than 50%. They are one paycheck away from losing their homes and their numbers are growing.

But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Homelessness in Deschutes County is not just a humanitarian crisis affecting those who experience it. It is an economic and environmental crisis that affects the quality of life for all of us. As homelessness becomes more visible in our community, it affects our ability to attract the businesses and jobs that sustain our economic growth. As homeless camps spread on our public lands, the trails and scenery that draw tourists and sustain our lifestyles become less welcoming.

We cannot ignore this crisis. Homelessness will not magically disappear. Those experiencing homelessness will not simply go away. For most of them, Central Oregon is home, often, the only home they have known.

Rather than addressing this crisis, some of our representatives dismiss homelessness as a “choice” while refusing to consider the obvious question, “If homelessness is a choice, what was the alternative that made it the preferable one?” Was it domestic abuse, family abandonment, crippling medical expense, a lost job or simply unachievable housing? And now, with a pandemic ravaged economy, how many more will “choose” homelessness in the face of crippling mortgage and rent burdens?

But there are other choices that have led to our growing homeless crisis. Choices that we and our elected representatives have made. Our failure to provide housing that is truly achievable for the average Central Oregonian or to promote innovative transitional housing solutions for those seeking to escape homelessness is preventing real progress in addressing the crisis.

While Deschutes County has agreed to provide land for the planned Central Oregon Veterans Village in Bend and Skyline Village in Redmond, their indecisiveness and prolonged consultations have resulted in many months of delays in bringing these projects and other much needed projects online.

In November, we, the people of Deschutes County, will make our own choice. With our votes, we will decide whether to confront the difficult challenges we face or to turn our backs. We can choose to continue the current path or to address homelessness with realism, compassion and the necessary sense of urgency.

The correct choice — indeed the only choice — if this is to continue to be a community we lovingly and proudly call home — is to elect public servants willing to truly understand the causes and costs of homelessness and meet the challenge with decisive action, political will and moral courage.

Deschutes County deserves a commissioner with a proven track record of addressing difficult issues, building coalitions and seeking sustainable solutions rather than partisan victories.

Phil Chang has shown through his work for the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, the award-winning Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project and more that he will be that commissioner. I trust him to represent not only my interests but the interests of all the people of Deschutes County.

Together, with Phil Chang’s leadership, we can build a more prosperous future that all of our neighbors can share.

We cannot ignore this crisis. Homelessness will not magically disappear. Those experiencing homelessness will not simply go away. For most of them Central Oregon is home, often the only home they have known.