Tensions Rise Between the City and County Over the Homelessness Crisis
Conservative Deschutes County Commissioners Withdraw Support for Managed Homeless Camp After Details Nearly Finalized
As first noted by The Deschutes Chronicle, one of the most significant problems newly elected Mayoral Kebler will face is working with Deschutes County on the polarizing issue of homelessness.
The Bend City Council is made up entirely of Democrats, who almost always unanimously agree with one another and strongly back Mayor Kebler and her agenda. Deschutes County, on the other hand, is overseen by three county commissioners, two of which are far-right Republicans, and the other is a Democrat. The two conservative Commissioners - Patty Adair and Tony Debone - were just reelected in 2022.
In response to the upcoming sweep of Hunnel Road, which is occupied by many homeless individuals and has, at times, been a place for drug dealing - the City and County agreed to work in conjunction to open a managed homeless camp on the south side of Bend.
This would give Hunnel Road residents a place to live and where services are offered. Because it would be a managed camp - the non-profit provider, City, and County could keep an eye on drug use, trash, and other quality-of-life issues that arise with unmanaged homeless encampments.
The location was picked, details were being finalized, and both the City and County came prepared to work out the nitty gritty - the problem? Commissioners Adair and Debone unexpectedly pulled out, voting against the managed camp, after agreeing to be a partner only 10 days before.
Debone appears to have kowtowed to a few business owners and residents in the area that strongly opposed the camp. Commissioner Phil Chang and Mayor Melanie Kebler blasted the commissioner's decision. The Bend Bulletin, which has thoroughly reported on the homelessness crisis in Bend, also supports managed camps.
The director of the county’s Coordinated Houseless Response Office, Cheyenne Purrington, and the official that oversees the office, Commissioner Adair, seem to be at odds. County meetings and presentations from the Houseless Response Office indicate that Director Purrington and her department were strong supporters of opening a managed camp for these homeless residents, and others around the County. Commissioner Adair’s “no” vote is a direct contradiction of her own director and department's recommendations.
The issue raises the bigger question of if anything concrete and long-term can be done to move away from unmanaged encampments. The City of Bend simply doesn’t have the financial resources to shelter or manage the over 1,000 homeless residents in Deschutes County.
Mayor Kebler told reporters, “We are not going to be able to open a supported campsite on our own.” Adding in another statement, “Deschutes County Commissioners: Please provide basic public health services and case management that are an integral part of a solution in the work to end homelessness.”
Unless one of the two conservative commissioners is influenced by the growing chorus of people - and even their own Coordinated Homeless Response Office - to change to a “yes" vote, the City and County appear to be at a standstill.