BEND, OR -- The Coordinated Houseless Response Office held what’s being called an “all hands on deck” roundtable meeting Thursday to address the homeless crisis near China Hat Road.
Among the officials and service providers, they heard from Linda Long, who knows firsthand what it’s like to live in a China Hat encampment. "I would really like to emphasize that playing whack-a-mole with the homeless doesn’t work and it never will. Believe me. Homeless people can be very creative," she told the group of around two dozen. She says forcing campers off will just push them somewhere else Long told them she's pleased people are now listening, "Only fear and angst ends up driving the conversation instead of compassion and understanding; on both sides of the line."
Several homeowners from the Woodside Ranch subdivision, which sits on the east side of China Hat Road, spoke about not allowing young children to play in yards because of the activities they see on the National Forest just across the street. They also said they worry the encampments will start a wildfire.
Deschutes National Forest Supervisor Holly Jewkes said in other parts of Oregon, the Forest is a half an hour drive from home. "The Deschutes National Forest is not 100% unique, but we’re so close to community. We’re on the Urban Growth Boundary of several cities, subdivisions all throughout Central Oregon. And that’s an amazing opportunity and it’s also a challenge." She said it's why conflicts between campers, recreators and property owners are more common here.
The roundtable meeting also included representatives from U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Local groups also participated, like Central Oregon Veterans Outreach and other service providers, the Homeless Leadership Coalition and staffers from U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden's offices, as well as from the offices of U.S. Representatives Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Cliff Bentz.
Those at the meeting agreed to participate in a pilot project, with the China Hat area targeted first. The goal, they say, is to get people into housing, not only temperary shelters, using strategies recently released by the USICH. They hope to eventually use the multi-agency collaborative approach in other areas with high concentrations of unsheltered people in Central Oregon.
KBND News sat down with COIC Executive Director Tammy Baney, who took part in the meeting and will be charged with leading the coordination. We asked why it's taken so long to find this approach, how long before property owners south of Bend will see measurable change, and how the pilot project will work. Here is our full conversation:
