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City and county outline timeline, rules and services for Juniper Ridge temporary safe-stay area
Summary
Deschutes County and the City of Bend updated a joint Temporary Safe Stay Area (TSSA) plan for Juniper Ridge, describing hygiene stations, rules, security patrols, fuels mitigation and a phased closure plan culminating in a May 31 partial closure and full closure target in 2026.
City and county officials on Thursday gave a progress update on a joint Temporary Safe Stay Area (TSSA) for people camping at Juniper Ridge and described timelines and rules meant to improve health and safety while services and wildfire mitigation continue.
Matt Stewart, Deschutes County risk and facilities director, said the TSSA grew out of code-enforcement complaints. "This started with a code violation on county owned property," Stewart said, and the two jurisdictions opened a joint program to reduce hazard and move people toward shelter and housing.
County and city staff described the TSSA footprint as covering roughly 2,000 acres across several properties, with the established camping area straddling the railroad tracks and running toward the hydro station on the north end. Officials said about 70–80 established camps were being monitored inside the TSSA, with roughly 15 additional occupied camps identified on adjacent city property outside the TSSA; staff estimated 20–30 people present at any given time.
Why it matters: officials framed the TSSA as a temporary, managed response intended to reduce immediate public-safety and sanitation risks…
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