City and County Weigh Closing Juniper Ridge Temporary Safe Stay Area; Seek Options and Funding to Protect Canal Infrastructure

BEND, Ore. — Deschutes County and the City of Bend presented an update Sept. 29 on the Temporary Safe Stay Area (TSSA) at Juniper Ridge, discussing operations, enforcement and options for closing or extending the site that was established after unmanaged camping was reported on city- and county-owned land.

The update, delivered by Matt Stewart, Real Estate, Facilities and Housing director for Deschutes County, and Amy Fraley, a City of Bend staffer, summarized TSSA activity since sanitation stations were first installed in 2023 and described the joint resolutions adopted by the county (Oct. 23) and the city (Oct. 29) that established the area and called for a full closure on or before Dec. 31, 2026. “Our goal with this meeting is to provide that update and status on how we’ve been doing with the management and the implementation and discuss next steps,” Stewart said.

Why it matters: The TSSA is a managed response intended to reduce public-safety and sanitation risks from unsanctioned camping while directing people into services. County and city staff told the joint meeting the program has increased engagement with service providers but also requires ongoing enforcement, infrastructure protection and funding. Officials are weighing whether to begin phased closures in 2026 as called for in the resolutions or to extend the TSSA while they build alternative placements.

Key facts and figures

- County and city staff said the TSSA has engaged 241 unique individuals with service providers at peak reporting; an August dashboard used by the city reported 569 service hours for 95 people that month. The most recent count cited at the meeting was 191 people and 143 camps (report from Compass as of the prior Thursday).

- Service providers said about 70 people have active housing equity assessments. Staff estimated, based on provider conversations, that roughly 25% might qualify for permanent supportive housing, 25% might seek safe parking, 25% might consider noncongregate motel shelter and 25% other outcomes; staff emphasized those allocations were informal estimates, not tracked client-level data.

- Combined city and county spending for fiscal years 2024–25 was reported at about $1 million for hygiene stations, security, trash, cleanup and related costs. County-specific line items presented by staff included water ($64,000), portable toilets/handwashing ($40,000), dumpsters ($20,000), security ($128,000) and general cleanup (~$250,000), for a county total of roughly $600,000 over the last couple fiscal years.

Management, rules and enforcement

County and city officials reviewed the TSSA rules derived from state law that require camping in the designated area to be temporary and vehicle-based, prohibit constructed structures and open wood fires, and limit fuel-burning cooking to safe distances from flammable materials. Staff said they first emphasized education in June, began issuing notices of remedy in August (10 to date), and issued a first removal notice in early September that led to removal of three camps (about six individuals). Providers receive copies of remedy notices to coordinate outreach.

Service…