Officials greenlight managed camp for homeless in Redmond

Published 10:04 am Wednesday, July 23, 2025

First-of-its-kind site in Central Oregon could be a model for reducing unsanctioned camping

Plans to develop and manage a 36-site homeless camp on the east side of Redmond have come to fruition.

After nearly a year of planning, Deschutes County and the city of Redmond each formalized their commitment to the project for at least two years, with hopes to begin construction in August and have people move in before winter begins.

The managed camp will be the first of its kind in Central Oregon, with developed gravel roads, water lines and fire hydrants, electricity and a common kitchen. Each of the 50-foot by 30-foot camping spaces will include a tent space, gravel parking pad and picnic table.

The site is just inside the Redmond city limits north of the Redmond Airport and a transitional homeless shelter, Oasis Village. There’s enough room to eventually expand to 72 campsites, officials said.

Deschutes County and the city of Redmond plan to develop a managed homeless campsite at the eastern edge of the city limits, north of the Redmond Municipal Airport. (Deschutes County)

Officials hope the developed camp will help reduce the number of encampments across government-owned lands in Redmond and Deschutes County while providing an initial rung in the ladder out of homelessness. It’s also the means to completing a decades-old land swap deal with the state that’s been held up by the presence of homeless camps east of Redmond.

Monday’s 2-1 vote by the Deschutes County Commission showed continued support for the project, though many details still need to be nailed down.

“If we can’t have all the shelter and transitional housing we need, having people go to a managed authorized camp with rules is a lot better than a free for all out on the federal, state and county lands,” said Commissioner Phil Chang.

Commissioner Patti Adair also voted in favor.

“We’ve definitely added a lot of capacity, and it seems like we’re still underwater,” she said.

Though anxious to complete the land swap, Commissioner Tony DeBone has not supported the managed camp, arguing the county is sinking too many resources into the project.

Moving parts

For years, homeless people have been living across a large area of High Desert called “the Junipers” at the eastern edge of Redmond and beyond. Soon, hundreds of acres will be closed to get ready for construction projects.

The county on July 11 closed camps in the path of the future 21st Street road extension project in Redmond. During the closure, the county told campers to avoid relocating to future construction areas. Those include the managed camp, a 75-unit supportive housing project for people transitioning out of homelessness, major road construction projects and the future CORE3 disaster center and training facility site.

“There’s a lot of moving parts out there on the east side of Redmond, and the more we can establish some security, some base, the better off we’ll be in the long run,” Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch said during Monday’s commissioner meeting.

Future closure areas also include 137 acres the county wants to trade to the state. In 2022, the Department of State Lands told the county all homeless camps and debris would need to be cleared before the deal could proceed. That’s still the agency’s position, according to spokesperson Alyssa Rash.

The county estimates there are 20 to 25 people living there, according to Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp.

“We plan to give adequate notice, work with service providers to assist with people’s needs to the extent they can, encourage people to relocate to the managed camp, encourage people to sign up for housing/shelter, and let people know where they can go,” Kropp said in an email.

County code enforcement has identified county lands in the area as an “imminent public health and safety hazard.” The county prohibits long term camping on its lands, but has been waiting for homelessness projects like the managed camp to come online before removing people.

The actions east of Redmond are part of a recent wave of land closures across Central Oregon that have displaced hundreds of homeless people. Fitch said Redmond has seen an influx of homelessness in Redmond, particularly after the closure of Deschutes National Forest lands for a wildfire mitigation project south of Bend forced 100-200 people from the forest.

Campers east of Redmond are now feeling a similar pressure.

Chuck Thomsen and his wife have lived in the same dirt campsite in the Junipers a few hundred yards from the highway since 2020, when they lost their home in the McKenzie River valley’s devastating Holiday Farm Fire. Thomsen worked Tuesday afternoon to haul belongings in his truck to a new campsite in the Junipers farther north, where camping is still allowed.

“To me, it was my home,” he said as he tore down a square wooden shelter.

Thomasen’s neighbor, Angela Nixon, said her vehicle is just outside the closure area. She’s lived in the area for a year, and seen her neighbors get displaced several times, she said.

“If I’m here when it happens, yeah, I’ll be going to the managed camp,” Nixon said. “The amenities of running water, the facilities, it’s nice …  the things you take for granted.”

Lingering uncertainties

The agreement with Redmond marks the second time in the past year Deschutes County has partnered with a city on a homeless camp project. Earlier this year the county and city of Bend constricted camping to a 170-acre “safe stay” area off of U.S. Highway 97 just north of the city, part of a swath of land known as Juniper Ridge or “Dirt World.”

The effort nearly fell apart when the county initially hesitated to sign a formal agreement with Bend several months after voting to move forward with the project.

The agreement signed with Redmond does not legally bind the county to fund the managed camp, but rather relies on a “good faith” effort to follow through, Fitch said. Redmond and the county will roughly split the one-time construction cost of $531,000, with the county paying slightly more at $281,000. The agreement assumes the county will fund operations of the camp for two to three years.

The current design for the east Redmond managed camp includes 36 sites, each complete with picnic tables and tent and vehicle parking space. The property has room to expand to 72 campsites. (Deschutes County)

The good faith commitment wasn’t enough for Kathryn Osborne, a Redmond City Councilor who voted against the agreement Tuesday night, citing concerns about the allocation of funds to make sure the camp provided “dignity-type services, security, access as we displace people.”

Fitch remained confident in the county.

“I do think that they will step up to the plate,” he said. “It really has to happen. It won’t work without it.”

The county does not have an estimate on the cost to run the camp, and has not finalized a funding source, according to Kropp, the county manager. Potential sources include leftover federal funds set aside to address homelessness and a project development fund.

The county also has not yet contracted with a service provider to run day-to-day operations, including case management services.

Redmond officials said Monday they are confident a service provider will come forward.

“We’ve had some people inquire,” said Redmond City Councilor Cat Zwicker.

Chang, the county commissioner, suggested that because the Deschutes County Fairgrounds would be a major beneficiary of the land swap deal, for which the managed camp is a prerequisite, the fairgrounds should do its part to address homelessness by contributing staff time to help with services like trash or toilets.

Fair officials could not be reached for comment by The Bulletin’s deadline.