Bend and Deschutes County back six‑month TSSA extension, set June 1 closure for sections 1 and 2

Bend Mayor Melanie Keebler and Deschutes County officials signaled support for a staff plan to shrink the Temporary Safe Stay Area on Juniper Ridge, close sections 1 and 2 by June 1 and authorize a six-month extension of services while the city and county pursue housing and campground alternatives.

At the joint meeting, Matt Stewart, Bend’s real estate, facilities and housing director, reviewed the TSSA’s goals, calling the site “about a 170 acres” used to provide hygiene, sanitation and case management to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Stewart said the joint resolutions aim to reduce the TSSA footprint about 50% in year two and seek full closure on or before Dec. 31, 2026, unless the bodies agree to extend the schedule.

Amy Braley, senior program manager for the City of Bend, told the council and board that the city and county allocated ARPA funds ($800,000 from the city, $400,000 from the county) to housing‑focused case management and that providers funded through a competitive grant have engaged hundreds of clients. “This brings our total of exits to 35 that we’ve tracked,” Braley said, while noting additional exits may not be captured in the data.

Braley and Stewart outlined capacity and cost realities. As of Jan. 9, staff reported about 192 campers at the TSSA across approximately 158 camps; city-supported shelters were operating near capacity (Braley reported an 88% utilization rate across supported shelters, 99% at the navigation center and 101% at the Franklin Avenue Shelter in 2025). Braley presented cost estimates for alternatives: permanent supportive housing at roughly $400,000 per unit, motel-conversion examples with high startup and annual operating costs, and scaled costs for safe‑parking and campground models.

Staff asked whether the bodies wanted to proceed with closing sections 1 and 2 (with standard 60/30/72‑hour notices beginning in late March) and whether to keep the current closure date of Dec. 31, 2026 or extend. Stewart said the six‑month extension would carry an estimated additional cost of “about 1,100,000” for the full year and about $550,000 to maintain current services for six months (the figure excludes cleanup costs associated with eventual closure).

Commissioners and councilors debated tradeoffs: reducing the operational footprint to roughly 75 acres and drawing an enforcement line could make services more effective and reduce inflow, but concentrating people may raise friction and safety concerns. Several elected officials supported a by‑name inventory or a fixed camp‑spot inventory to limit new arrivals once the closure line is drawn; others pressed for faster exits into permanent housing.

By consensus, staff said the two bodies gave direction to pursue the six‑month extension with conditions to limit new inflow, to proceed with closing sections 1 and 2 by June 1, and to draft a revised joint resolution reflecting that direction for formal action by each body. Staff were asked to return with funding options for covering the roughly $550,000 six‑month operating cost (the city and county currently split operating costs 50/50) and to include the topic in upcoming financial work sessions.

Next steps: staff will draft the revised resolution reflecting the June 1 sectional closure and six‑month extension and bring formal approval items to each governing body; staff will also return with a funding plan and proposed rules to limit new entries into the reduced TSSA footprint.