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NEWS Managing Camps and Public Opinion

A proposed managed camp for unhoused people caused a stir among neighboring homeowners and educators. But could it work?

By Jack Harvel

Proposals by the City of Bend to create two managed houseless camps received ample pushback from neighboring homeowners, businesses and educators at nearby schools. The issue came up during the Bend City Council’s regular meeting Aug. 18.

The City whittled possible sites down to a City-owned parcel off of NE Ninth Street north of Bridgeford Boulevard, and another on SE Third Street south of Murphy Road and the Les Schwab Tire Center. The Ninth Street location proved more controversial due to its proximity to Bend High School, Bear Creek Elementary and Coyner Trail.

Matt Craven, a teacher and head football coach at Bend High, said 122 faculty and staff at Bend High and Bear Creek signed a letter opposing the camps.

“I can tell you in 25 years I’ve never been able to garner 122 signatures in only—I think we did it in 20 hours,” Craven said.

Signatories argued that the area is heavily trafficked by students going to and from school. The Coyner Trail is often used by extracurricular sports teams. The proposed site is also within view of school outdoor areas. The 122 signatories urge the City to choose a different site and study its effect over several years before allowing one near schools.

“We believe that taking the risk of putting the first-ever homeless camp that’s been tried in between the two schools is too great a risk for everyone involved in our community,” said Lisa Karnopp Nye, a teacher and cross-country coach at Bend High. “So, we would like to see—if the City of Bend does make the decision to pursue homeless camps—we would like to see it happen in a different location, and then assess what the impacts are, what it’s about, and then take that information and that research and evaluate whether or not that’s a good idea to put it between, or next to, any school.”

The managed camps would ideally be publicly owned, house 15 to 25 people on 1 to 2 acres, have perimeter markings like fences or walls, access to water, a street address and proximity to transit and social services. The City aims to find an organization to manage the camp by the end of September and to open it before winter, when low temperatures present a greater danger to unhoused communities.

The proposed camps would be 1-2 year temporary sites and fold into the City’s broader goals for unhoused services, including a navigation center and Project Turnkey-funded motel renovations. City of Bend Economic Development Director Carolyn Eagan said the City-owned property on Ninth Street, though not ideal in its surroundings, is the City’s fastest option in establishing a managed camp because it is cityowned and won’t require negotiations with other governments.

“We know that this is not an ideal site; it’s in a neighborhood, but we are trying to figure out how we can really convert this site in the shortest amount of time into a safe place for people to stay,” Eagan said during City Council’s regular meeting on Sept. 2.

Eagan said many of the questions regarding how the camp will operate can best be answered after the City puts out a request for proposal for service providers, who must have experience managing camps, coordinated entry systems, populations served and the rules and regulations governing campers. During the City Council’s Sept. 2 meeting, over 25 people called in opposition to the camps, and five in favor.

“We are eager to mitigate as many of those concerns that our community has as possible, and the way that we have always talked about mitigating the broad-

est number or broadest array of concerns is through our request for proposal process, which will identify a primary manager for the location,” Eagan said.

Jack Harvel Courtesy of Central Oregon Villages

Central Oregon Villages drafted renderings of what the proposed unhoused camp on Ninth Street could look like, though they stressed that they aren’t fully on board with the project and will wait for the City to produce a Request for Proposal before moving forward.

I believe these people are envisioning Hunnel Road being dropped into their neighborhood. If I thought that was a fact, and it was coming into my neighborhood, I’d zI’d be standing right there with those teachers saying that this is unacceptable —Jim Porter

A vision for villages, with Bend’s former police chief at the helm

Central Oregon Villages received a grant from the state for emergency housing solutions, including the creation of a village for unhoused people. It’s awaiting the City’s RFP and its organizers haven’t volunteered the nonprofit to manage the proposed camp—but they do have a model for a managed camp based largely around Square One’s Opportunity Village out of Eugene, which will help establish the village.

The group worked together informally since 2019 coordinating services like clean water, laundry truck services, mail boxes services, and food deliveries to unhoused people. In February COV defined its mission and in June applied for nonprofit status.

“We are modeling ourselves after their model, and the reason we are is they’ve had a great deal of success,” said Jim Porter, former Bend Police Chief and Central Oregon Villages board president. “When they contact the police chief from Eugene, they say that they’re performed exceptionally well, they have almost no problems within there.”

The model would be low-barrier to enter but high-barrier to remain, and

neighbors would have to demonstrate progress toward goals and participate in the camp’s management.

“They will be allowed in, but they have to immediately conform to the key points of the camp is number one, no alcohol or drug abuse, no bullying, no physical fighting,” Porter said. “The last entry level that I’m going to talk to on specific is no sex offenders, or child offenders will be allowed within the camp.”

Porter is sympathetic to parent’s concerns but believes a well-managed camp would look much differently than imagined.

“I believe these people are envisioning Hunnel Road being dropped into their neighborhood. If I thought that was a fact, and it was coming into my neighborhood, I’d probably be standing beside those people, I’d be standing right there with those teachers saying that this is unacceptable,” Porter said. “I truly understand why they’re concerned, and I don’t blame them. But that is not what we as a group are envisioning, nor is what we’ve adopted as our operating policy.”

Noticias en Español Un campamento controlado propuesto para personas sin hogar causó revuelo entre los vecinos y los maestros. Pero, ¿podría funcionar?

Por Jack Harvel / Traducido por Jéssica Sánchez-Millar

Las propuestas de la ciudad de Bend para crear dos campamentos controlados para personas sin hogar recibieron amplia oposición de parte de los vecinos, los comercios y los maestros de escuelas cercanas. Este asunto surgió durante la junta habitual del consejo municipal de la ciudad de Bend el 18 de agosto.

La cuidad redujo el número de sitios posibles a una parcela, propiedad de la ciudad ubicada sobre la calle 9, al noroeste de la ciudad y al norte del boulevard Bridgeford; el otro sitio ubicado sobre la calle 3, en el suroeste de la ciudad, al sur de la calle Murphy Road y de la tienda central de llantas Les Schwab. La ubicación de la calle 9 demostró ser más controversial debido a la cercanía con la escuela preparatoria Bend High, la escuela primaria Bear Creek y el sendero Coyner.

Matt Craven, maestro y entrenador principal de fútbol americano de Bend High, dijo que 122 maestros y empleados de Bend High y Bear Creek firmaron una carta en contra de los campamentos.

“Les puedo decir que en 25 años nunca había podido reunir 122 firmas en tan solo… creo que lo hicimos en 20 horas,” dijo Craven.

Los signatarios sostuvieron que la zona es muy transitada por los estudiantes que van y vienen de la escuela. El sendero Coyner a menudo lo utilizan equipos deportivos. El sitio propuesto también está a la vista de las áreas al aire libre de la escuela. Los 122 signatarios recomiendan a la ciudad elegir un sitio diferente y analizar su efecto con el paso de los años antes de permitir la ubicación de un campamento cerca de las escuelas.

Lo ideal sería que los campamentos controlados fueran propiedad pública, dichos campamentos albergarían de 15 a 25 personas en un campo de 1 a 2 acres, tendrían perímetros marcados con cercas o bardas, acceso al agua, a una dirección y cercanía a zonas de tránsito y a servicio social. La ciudad tiene como objetivo encontrar para finales de septiembre una organización que administre el campamento y abrirlo antes que llegue el invierno, cuando las bajas temperaturas presentan un riesgo más alto para las comunidades sin hogar.

Los campamentos propuestos serían sitios temporales y se incorporarían objetivos más amplios de parte de la cuidad para los servicios relacionados a la falta de vivienda, incluyendo el centro de navegación y el Project Turnkey –renovación de moteles financiados. La directora de desarrollo económico de la ciudad de Bend, Carolyn Eagan, dijo que la propiedad de la ciudad sobre la calle nueve, aunque nos es la ideal para su entorno, es la opción más rápida para la ciudad para establecer un campamento controlado ya que es propiedad de la ciudad y no se requiere de negociaciones con otros gobiernos.

“Sabemos que este no es el sitio ideal, está en un vecindario, pero estamos tratando de ver cómo podemos convertir en poco tiempo a este sitio en un lugar seguro para que la gente se establezca ahí,” dijo Eagan.

Eagan dijo que muchas de las preguntas relacionadas a cómo se manejará el campamento se pueden responder mejor después que la ciudad presente una solicitud de propuesta a los prestadores de servicios, quienes deben tener experiencia dirigiendo campamentos, coordinando los sistemas de entrada, la población atendida y las reglas y normas que rigen a los acampantes.

El exjefe de policía de Bend, Jim Porter, quien se jubiló el año pasado, es presidente de la organización sin fines de lucro Central Oregon Villages (COV por sus siglas en inglés). La organización sin fines de lucro recibió una subvención para apoyar a la población sin hogar, incluyendo la creación de una aldea para personas sin hogar. COV está esperando la solicitud de propuestas antes de seguir adelante con los planes relacionados a la administración del campamento propuesto.

“Estamos dispuestos a disminuir la mayor cantidad posible de las preocupaciones que tiene nuestra comunidad y la manera en la que siempre hemos hablado sobre como disminuir un conjunto de inquietudes es a través del proceso de solicitud de propuesta, el cual identificará a un gerente primario para la ubicación,” dijo Eagan.