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Bend reports slight rise in houselessness, shelters near capacity after China Hat closure
Summary
City staff reported 1,001 people counted in the January point-in-time count, shelters operating near capacity and displacement after a Forest Service closure at China Hat. City-funded low-barrier beds and temporary safe-stay sites absorbed some displaced people, but staff warned pressure on services remains high.
City staff updated the committee on the most recent point-in-time data and the effects of several major public-land and city property closures that have displaced people experiencing houselessness.
Brooke O’Keefe, the city’s shelter coordinator, and Amy Freely, senior program manager for houselessness solutions, presented the data. They said the January point-in-time count recorded 1,001 people experiencing houselessness in the City of Bend — roughly a 4% increase from 2024 — and that the city has 543 shelter beds, 226 of which are low-barrier and city-funded. Between January and March, city-funded shelters and safe parking sites provided 22,593 nights of shelter and maintained a reported utilization rate of 98%.
O’Keefe said the U.S. Forest Service’s Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project closed about 35,000 acres south of Bend, including long-established China Hat encampments. She said Cabin Butte’s closure displaced roughly 102 people. The city is also closing property east of the railroad tracks at Juniper Ridge on May 31, and the Bureau of Land Management and neighboring jurisdictions are planning related closures; staff said these closures add pressure on shelter and outreach systems.
Staff reported how displaced people were reconnected to services: 10 people accessed permanent supportive housing at Cleveland Commons, about 201 people moved into Old Mill Apartments, Central Oregon Villages planned to allocate its six new tiny-home units to people from China Hat, and the Franklin Avenue shelter increased capacity by 10 beds. O’Keefe said many people moved to the temporary safe-stay area at Juniper Ridge; staff noted that as of the most recent check there were 109 camps there — an increase of about 45% from a prior count.
Outreach and service providers named in the presentation included NeighborImpact (required to enter data into HMIS), Central Oregon Villages, Shepherd’s House (Sharevan), Reach (vehicle repairs and case management), Home More Now, Companion Animal Medical Project, Mosaic Medical and Kobo/Bend Equity Project. Staff said providers submit information into the city dashboard and HMIS; the city and county meet weekly to coordinate responses.
Ending: Staff emphasized limits of the point-in-time count — it is a single-night snapshot that does not include couch-surfing or short-term hotel stays — and said temporary increases in capacity (added beds and safe parking) helped absorb displaced people but that demand remains high.
