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Resident raises homelessness and transit safety concerns at Deschutes County meeting
Summary
A resident recounted recent homelessness and substance use problems in her apartment building and on county buses, urging the county to support transit committee engagement and outreach to affected properties.
During the citizen input period of the Feb. 20 Deschutes County Board of Commissioners meeting, resident Tina Colleen Smith described problems she said she and her adult son have faced while living at Old Mill Studios and using county transit.
Smith said she had experienced homelessness for three years and recently moved into an apartment at the Old Mill Studios at 904 SE Third. She told commissioners that units in the building were “infested with drugs” and recounted an incident she described as occurring around Thanksgiving in which a person on the property used crack in a lounge area and was later arrested, leaving drug paraphernalia on her porch. Smith said she had reported the incident to police and to county code enforcement and asked the county to help address safety in the complex.
Smith also reported a recent episode while riding county transit, saying the bus on route 1 “smelled like pot so bad” and that a group onboard engaged her and her son in a confrontation. She said she plans to attend a local homelessness meeting and that she intends to seek a position on the COIC transit committee to “try to keep it positive” and help address safety and sanitation concerns.
Ending: Commissioners thanked Smith for speaking and asked staff to accept her contact information so she could follow up. Smith said she would provide dates and times to staff if needed for follow‑up.
