County to revise response to civic assembly on youth homelessness; board discusses CASA, drop-in hub and service partnerships

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners discussed recommendations from a citizen-led civic assembly on youth homelessness and asked staff to prepare an updated draft response. County staff said 30 randomly selected residents spent roughly 30 hours learning about youth homelessness and produced 22 (numbered as 23 in the packet with one skipped) recommendations; the packet and a draft response letter were in the board packet.

Deputy County Administrator Eric Cropp briefed the board on the assembly and the staff matrix that lists the civic assembly's suggested county roles alongside a staff recommendation for each item. "Some of these recommendations are directly related to county services or things that the county is currently doing. Other recommendations relate to other entities or other governments," Cropp said. The board reviewed items the civic assembly highlighted and discussed where the county might take action beyond advocacy.

Commissioners and presenters focused on several recurring themes: promoting CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer recruitment, continued or increased support for service partners such as JBARJ, potential county roles with a proposed central hub or "drop" for youth, public-transit links (COIC), and promotion of existing prevention work such as the Healthy Schools partnership. Judy Trigo, a civic assembly delegate, urged more flexible grant spending for youth — for example, gas cards or help with car insurance rather than only food vouchers: "We can find food all day long, but we might need gas cards. We might need help paying our car insurance so we can get to work," she said.

Staff and commissioners noted the county already funds or provides in-kind support to some partners: planning staff told the board JBARJ is a county service partner that received $15,000 annually in recent years and that county departments purchase youth beds from JBARJ and sometimes provide facility space at below-market cost. Commissioners asked that the draft letter explicitly note ongoing county investments (cash and in-kind) where appropriate. The board also discussed the scope of a proposed central hub for youth: staff suggested the county could offer experience from running the existing "Drop" (a supervised drop-in service) and could play a planning or partner role without committing the county to full operation.

Other matters discussed included transit coordination through COIC, potential public-awareness campaigns to promote the Drop and Healthy Schools programs, and the need for flexible funding for youth services. County staff agreed to incorporate the board's suggested language — including calling out the county's partnerships and funding where supported by records — and return with an updated draft letter for the board to consider next Wednesday. No binding budget or new program was approved at the meeting; the board provided direction to staff.