City and county outline timeline, rules and services for Juniper Ridge temporary safe-stay area

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 while offering housing-focused case management and services. Staff said the goal is to shrink the allowable camping area over time and ultimately remove camping from the site.

What staff described: Matt Stewart and Deputy County Administrator Eric Cropp outlined posted rules for the site (camping limited to vehicles; use of hygiene stations; prohibition of open flames; reasonable-accommodation procedures). Stewart said the Deschutes County Sheriff has authority to enforce rules on county property and that Bend Fire & Rescue must deem propane heaters and stoves safe.

Infrastructure and services: the county installed three hygiene stations nearly two years ago and the city added two more recently; stations include porta-potties, handwashing and potable water tanks. Officials have provided dumpsters and a ‘‘personal storage’’ container at a consolidated site where the city and county can store personal property temporarily when camps are removed.

Security and enforcement: staff said security patrols and health-and-safety officers monitor the TSSA; patrols run multiple shifts each day (staff said security is present four times daily across two sites). For the initial month of operation staff emphasized education and compliance; they plan to begin issuing formal "notice to remedy" citations for repeated violations (dogs and open flames named as the first two priorities).

Housing-focused case management: Amy Braley, City of Bend housing staff, described a services fund and a network of six nonprofit providers under contract to deliver case management, basic needs assistance, housing-search help, vehicle repairs and pet support. Braley said the city and county assembled roughly $1.131 million to fund services and that NeighborImpact is managing data and case conferencing.

Fuels mitigation and site work: staff described fuels-reduction work on both city and county parcels, including a 200-foot fire break the city will treat around the perimeter of its Juniper Ridge property and a county contractor treating roughly 50 acres; chip removal and mechanical reduction were under way with target completion dates for some phases in early May. County staff also described placement of concrete blocks and boulders to protect buried irrigation canals.

Closure schedule and cleanup: staff said they issued a 60-day closure notice for the city-owned area east of the railroad tracks on April 2–3, will issue 30-day notices the week of the meeting, and plan a closure and cleanup of that east-side area on May 31; they reiterated a broader objective of fully clearing the campus by the end of 2026. From January to the time of the update staff reported about 400,000 pounds of trash removed from city property.

Open questions and next steps: commissioners asked about spay/neuter and animal-control services, long-range housing capacity and how many people might need to exit the site by the closure deadlines. Staff said the immediate enforcement approach is education-first, then notices to remedy, with removals only for repeated or immediate threats to health and safety. Officials said they continue to refine the TSSA rules, intergovernmental reimbursement for hygiene stations and the service-provider contracts.

Ending: county and city staff asked for continued coordination and indicated administrative agreements (intergovernmental agreements) for cost-sharing and security would proceed through staff and administrators rather than returning to the elected bodies for approval.