BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners meet Thursday afternoon with the Bend City Council. County Administrator Nick Lelack says growth and solid waste services are on the agenda, but one topic will take most of the time. "I expect the majority of the discussion will then need to focus on where do we go next in terms of addressing homelessness at Juniper Ridge," Lelack told Commissioners Wednesday. 

City Manager Eric King tells KBND News everyone is focused on finding ways to help people without permanent housing, "How can we really get clear with folks about the need for getting folks out of the woods? It's just not a safe place for anybody." But, he notes, it needs to be a broad effort, "Coupled with a surge of services, to help folks get into housing and needed services. So, talking about that as a concept, not just with Juniper Ridge, but some of the other large encampments in the region."

Commissioner Patti Adair says recent fires traced to encampments in La Pine and Juniper Ridge create a sense of urgency, "We've had a lot of warnings. We have a community that's on pins and needles and it's really appropriate that we are meeting." She added Wednesday, "I'm looking forward to that meeting. The fact that we need to go forward with somewhat of a temporary managed camp that's actually going to protect the people in it and our citizens outside." Commissioners have had numerous discussions about a managed homeless camp, but have yet to settle on a location, partly due to zoning challenges and state rules, "It's a no-win situation, isn't it? But we've got to make it a winning for the community," said Adair, who also sits on the board for the Coordinated Houseless Response Office, "We've got to figure out a way that temporarily we can actually get Deschutes County in a safer position."

Commissioner Tony DeBone says he supports offering a site, "Outside the city of Bend on county land, the south part of the county's land at Juniper Ridge area, north of Beechcraft Lane. So that would be something that's tangible."

Thursday's city-county meeting starts at 2 p.m. at the County services building in Bend. It'll also be livestreamed HERE. 
Commissioners meet next month with the Redmond City Council, and in November with the cities of Sisters and La Pine.