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Commissioners authorize temporary county property use for Jericho Road homeless outreach
Summary
The board approved a temporary limited transfer of county property adjacent to SE 21st Street allowing Jericho Road to provide outreach and services while the Desert Rise site closes; Mountain View Community Development will contract with Jericho Road and the location is expected to host Friday services once agreements are signed.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on June 17 authorized staff to provide written consent for a temporary limited transfer of county‑owned property adjacent to Southeast 21st Street in Redmond so Jericho Road can continue outreach services after the Desert Rise site is closed.
Background and proposal: Deschutes County property management staff explained that the city of Redmond is closing the Desert Rise site (the former gravel pit) where Jericho Road and partner providers had offered outreach. Jericho Road requested temporary use of a small, cleared footprint on county‑owned property that is leased to Mountain View Community Development. County and Mountain View staff said the footprint was previously used for staging and is reasonably flat and accessible for outreach vans and providers.
Service continuity and timeline: Elanor Bessinette of Jericho Road told the board her team visited the site and determined it was accessible to service vans and outreach activities; she said services are expected to continue at Desert Rise until written access is provided and that providers hope to begin Friday outreach at the new location as soon as agreements are in place. Rick Russell of Mountain View Community Development said his organization anticipates construction of permanent supportive housing to begin after design and permitting (targeting permits by December) and that the temporary arrangement will be replaced by the permanent hub when ready.
Board action: Commissioners moved, seconded and approved an authorization for staff to sign written consent for a temporary limited transfer of use from Mountain View Community Development to Jericho Road, and authorized Mountain View Community Development to contract with Jericho Road for outreach services. The motion passed with a majority vote.
Why it matters: The action preserves continuity of outreach and basic services for people experiencing homelessness in East Redmond during the transition of the Desert Rise site and while Mountain View works toward permanent supportive housing and managed‑camp planning.
