BEND, OR -- Homeless advocates and service providers are developing plans for where campers will go when the Hunnell Road area is cleared, over the next three months. Cheyenne Purrington, Director of Central Oregon's Coordinated Houseless Response Office, says officials are working to open space at a Motel recently purchased by the city of Bend, "We will have about 50 units available at the Rainbow Motel. So our hope is that we can utilize the existing units in our shelter system as well as focus on actual housing - So, not just temporary solutions and sheltering, but actual long-term, permanent housing. If individuals do decide they want to stay, for instance in an RV, we are also looking at providing some ‘safe parking’ spaces."
Previous Coverage: Hunnell Road Slated For Cleanup
Purrington says the plan is part of the larger Encampment Resolution Pilot Project, which provides a framework for clearing areas deemed "unsafe campsites." Purrington says it’s modeled after what’s worked in other cities and will soon be used elsewhere in the region, "We are working with the city of Redmond on the Runway Protection Zone, which is adjacent to the runway and has been identified as a hazardous area that needs to be cleared of camps." That area is north of the Redmond Airport. She adds, "We’re working with [the city of Redmond] to identify a similar plan to conduct needs assessments and hopefully provide some resources."
Eventually, Purrington says, her office will work with the county, "For a parcel of land in east Redmond that’s been identified and slated for sale. And so our goal is really to focus on the human beings and provide a humanitarian response so that we are not just providing two weeks' notice and assuming or hoping that people will leave on their own. But rather, providing meaningful long-term options and intensive services."
On the north end of Bend, officials say Hunnell Road needs to be cleared to allow for work on the North Corridor Improvement Project on Highway 97. Purrington says the estimated 65 campsites in that area are a symptom of a region-wide problem, "We have one of the highest unsheltered homeless rates in the nation." She tells KBND News around 80% of Central Oregon’s homeless are considered unsheltered, meaning they live in a place not meant for human habitation. "A typical community might see 30% or 40% that are unsheltered, and the remainder might be living inside but with a family member or couch surfing. Or other communities may have emergency shelter beds available." Purrington sees it as a public health emergency, "The life expectancy for someone living unsheltered is about five years."
She says county teams are working to provide a health-based and housing-focused approach to helping those in large encampments like Hunnell Road and the two parcels in Redmond.
