LATEST UPDATE (03/29/2024): Based on news reports (Bend Bulletin | KTVZ | Central Oregon Daily), it appears that Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted 2 - 1 on Wednesday March 27, to cancel the contract the county had with Free On The Outside to run a shelter for adult male parolees on SE Wilson Ave. in Bend. As a result, it appears the property will be sold or re-purposed. Commissioners Adair and DeBone voted to end the contract and close this shelter; Commissioner Chang voted against. We await an official announcement from the county.
What appears below is an archived version of the information EastsideVotes.org provided January --> March, 2024. Some links may no longer work. The county's FAQ on the program, for instance, was taken down.
another shelter in Larkspur...
The latest addition to the concentration of shelters in the Larkspur Neighborhood arrived at the end of 2023 courtesy of Deschutes County Commissioners and the county's Adult Parole and Probation, a department under the direction of Deschutes County Community Justice. On 05/31/2023, the county was awarded a grant of public money from the State of Oregon in the amount of $1,078,518 "to provide housing for justice involved men on supervision". On November 8th, 640 SE Wilson was identified as the target property. The property went pending on November 20th, and the sale completed on December 20th. The problems with this latest facility in our neighborhood are numerous.
- The targeted property is adjacent to the homes of young families with children ranging in age from toddler to teen. An adjacent neighbor has verified at least 12 kids between the ages of 2- 14 within 60 yards of 640-652 Wilson. This is planned to be housing for paroled male criminals, including Level 2 and Level 3 sexual offenders. No matter which way one looks at this, this effort by the county simply is not fair or just to these adjacent homeowners and renters and their families, or to the neighborhood as a whole. Doesn't the county government exist to serve the tax-paying public first and foremost? From the county's own FAQ about this facility:
- At this time, people with Level 2 or Level 3 sexual offender classifications will not be denied consideration if their individual case meets the criteria described...
- Conclusion: While we understand the need to assist with the housing of parolees, this location, adjacent to homes with so many children, is not an acceptable, appropriate, or plausible location for housing this population. Additionally, this neighborhood has already been targeted too many times for every type of supportive/transitional/shelter housing imaginable. This neighborhood is already doing far more than its fair share to provide these types of housing to a variety of needy populations. Enough. Please relocate this facility now.
- From the county's own FAQ (item # 14), note that three existing tenancies in the targeted triplex were ended (or are in the process of ending) in order to make way for this new county shelter effort. The end result is that 3 middle/low income rental housing units have been removed from the Bend market, already a national poster child for lack of affordable housing.
- Conclusion: Is this a choice we want to be making - displace lower income renters to make way for a different subset of the housing challenged population? Does this pass the common sense test?
- Update 02/29/2024: during the public comment period of the 02/28/2024 Board Of County Commissioners Meeting, County Commissioners provided the following information. 1) All 3 displaced tenants have successfully found new housing. 2) Vacancy rates for apartments in Bend is currently over 9%.
- The targeted property sits smack dab in the middle of, and directly on, the brand new $15 million City of Bend GO Bond funded improvements of Wilson Ave. from SE 2nd St. all the way to SE 15th St. This improvement project includes 6' protected bikes lanes on both sides of Wilson, new sidewalks, and a multi-use path. Sadly, all these improvements will run directly in front of the property the county targeted for this facility.
- From the city's web page for the Wilson Ave improvement project: The City identified Wilson Avenue as a key route for walking and bicycling. This project enhances facilities for biking and walking to help ensure Wilson Avenue becomes the walking and bicycling route envisioned by the City.
- Question: How can County Government, and County Commissioners, with all their planning resources, have decided that this was an acceptable location for housing criminal offenders on parole, to include Level 2 & 3 sex offenders?
- Deschutes County Government did not reach out directly to residents or property owners in this neighborhood. Instead, the county relied on a single day of outreach by a private contractor on November 27, 2023. This was confirmed via email on 01/18/2024 by Director Holcomb of Deschutes County Community Justice. Per the county's FAQ item # 1, the reported outreach, which is highly disputed by neighbors, consisted of:
- Attempted contact ... included 6 triplexes, 3 duplexes, and one single residence. Staff spoke with residents at 14 of the residences and left flyers at the 11 residences where no one answered the door.
- You can view the actual notes from the private contractor on this page. You can view a neighbor's tabulated view of these notes on the same page. Please note that the entirety of the outreach effort on 11/27/2024 began at 11:42 AM and ended 45 minutes later at 12:27. And the private contractor purports to have visited 25 residences and spoken with residents at 14 of those residents in those 45 minutes. Shockingly, this private contractor, FreeOnTheOutside.org, is the same one selected by county decision makers to run this new facility and supervise shelter residents! How can this be? Is there any oversight as to how this $1 million + grant of taxpayer money is being utilized by county employees?
- Conclusion: Is this acceptable? Our county government is planning to house paroled criminals, including sex offenders, in the middle of a lower income, traditionally under-served and marginalized neighborhood with many young families (and many non-English speakers) and 45 minutes of English only outreach on a single day is deemed acceptable by government employees and our elected officials? Is this the way our government should be operating? It appears there are more requirements to establish a short-term rental property or put up a sign in Bend, than are in place to establish this type of facility. What is going on? Are our city and county governments working for themselves, or for the people, the ones actually paying for these facilities and services? The neighbors of this facility have every single right to the exact same level of representation and consideration from city and county government employees and elected officials as residents in more favored sections of the city. Residents in this neighborhood have every right to the same level of property value and public safety protections as the rest of this city and county. If there is geographical bias against this section of Bend, it must stop immediately. Community Justice for us, please! NOW. Please relocate this facility now.
- Is this an actual "low barrier shelter" as required by two grant proposals & signed agreements? Based on updates in # 1 & 2 below, we don't know, and we welcome clarification from any level of government in Oregon, regarding if the "low barrier" shelter requirements for this grant money still need to be met. Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) received $13,874,565.00 in April, 2023 from State of Oregon Housing & Community Services to establish new "low barrier" shelters within its area of influence. Subsequently, in May, 2023, COIC selected sub-recipient Deschutes County Community Justice, Adult Parole & Probation department, to receive $1,078,518.00 of this money to establish a new "low barrier" shelter for male sexual offenders on parole. This sequence of events is well-documented in the meeting minutes of the Deschutes County Commission on 07/26/2023 (beginning on page 183), as well as in Item #1 in Deschutes County Community Justice's FAQ for this shelter.
- 03/19/2024 Update: Via a public records request to Deschutes County, a neighbor obtained an "Amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement grant between COIC (Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council) and Deschutes County Parole and Probation." These government entities appear to have retroactively modified the "low barrier" shelter requirement by adding this to the "Scope of Work". It's Item 1.a.: "Operation of a managed housing program that includes at least eight high barrier shelter beds (high barrier status was approved by COIC on January 22, 2024 based on actual operational plans and availability of funds for high barrier programming not available at time of original application) for male justice-involved individuals."
So, in 2023 we have COIC in receipt of over $13 million in taxpayer money earmarked by the State of Oregon specifically for "low barrier" shelters. Deschutes County Community Justice/Adult Parole and Probation asks for and receives over $1 million of this money for a "low barrier" shelter for adult male parolees, to include level 2 & 3 sex offenders. In November/December 2023, Deschutes County staff proceeds to use this money to buy a triplex on Wilson Ave, and it contracts with a private contractor to run the shelter with the specification that contractor supplies eight "low barrier" shelter beds. The deadline for utilization of the funds was 01/10/2024. Question: How can the source of the money be changed by COIC on January 22, 2024 to enable a switch to "high barrier" shelter beds, since this is after most of the money was already spent? - Previous Update on 02/18/2024: The "low barrier" shelter requirement discrepancy we discuss here was questioned by a Deschutes County Commissioner during the public comment period of the 02/14/2024 Board Of County Commissioners Meeting. We reached out to the Commissioner on 02/16/2024 for clarification/correction and are awaiting that response.
- What follows are the original issues we found with the "low barrier" shelter requirements tied to this grant money. Do, or should, they still apply?
- More details on these events and "low barrier" shelter requirements are outlined on this page.
- Below is a summary of requirements for "low barrier" shelters. These items are taken directly from the grant agreement between the State of Oregon Housing & Community Services and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC). COIC is the entity that awarded taxpayer money to Deschutes County Community Justice, Adult Prole & Probation under the grant they received from the State of Oregon.
- "Low Barrier Shelters: Low and no barrier policies allow homeless individuals and households to access shelter, housing, and services without preconditions such as sobriety, compliance with treatment plan, no pets, or agreement to participate in specific programs, activities, or classes..."
- "Sobriety* and treatment are voluntary"
- "No required documentation of identification, custody, citizenship, or gender."
- Conclusion: These requirements appear at odds with what Deschutes County Community Justice is attempting to establish on their recently purchased property on SE Wilson Ave. The restrictions they are suggesting they will have in place (i.e., males only, identity known to parole officers, etc.) appear to be in direct violation of the requirements for establishment of a "low barrier" shelter. Is anyone, at any level of government in the State of Oregon, paying attention to what is happening here? Should this grant money be voluntarily returned or revoked because this will not be a low barrier shelter?
- 03/19/2024 Update: Via a public records request to Deschutes County, a neighbor obtained an "Amendment to the Subrecipient Agreement grant between COIC (Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council) and Deschutes County Parole and Probation." These government entities appear to have retroactively modified the "low barrier" shelter requirement by adding this to the "Scope of Work". It's Item 1.a.: "Operation of a managed housing program that includes at least eight high barrier shelter beds (high barrier status was approved by COIC on January 22, 2024 based on actual operational plans and availability of funds for high barrier programming not available at time of original application) for male justice-involved individuals."
- This shelter sits in the middle of a triangle formed by three Bend Parks and Recreation facilities. Per Google Maps, it is 586 feet from Kiwanis Park, 806 feet from Vince Genna Stadium, and 1500 feet from Jaycee Park. It's very difficult to believe that a location far more isolated from Bend Parks and Recreation facilities could not be found. Conclusion: A location in such close proximity to public parks in any other more favored section of the city or county would probably not have been considered for even a moment. But it appears to be deemed acceptable in this neighborhood. Is this the type of thing that happens in communities with very aggressive economic segregation and socioeconomic redlining dynamics?
- The following is from the county's grant application, page 213 of this county meeting document: We will also seek to locate a property that is distant from close neighborhoods. As the property will need to be more than 1,000 feet of schools, daycare facilities or parks it is likely that the neighborhood will be sparse and/or remote. We will create a clear safety plan, including installation of security systems on the property itself and share information as needed and productive with any
neighbors. Conclusion: The county so far is getting away with having stipulated this in their proposal, but doing something completely different. - In addition to hyper close proximity to the 3 Larkspur Neighborhood parks above, the county also chose a location w/in less than .85 miles to all of the following (distances are per OnX mapping application):
- Bend High School .59 miles
- Bear Creek Elementary .65 miles
- Silver Rail Elementary School .67 miles
- Juniper Park .84 miles
- Larkspur Park .82 miles
- Stone Creek Park .71 miles
- Ponderosa (skate) park .58 miles
- Can/should we do better than this?
- The following is from the county's grant application, page 213 of this county meeting document: We will also seek to locate a property that is distant from close neighborhoods. As the property will need to be more than 1,000 feet of schools, daycare facilities or parks it is likely that the neighborhood will be sparse and/or remote. We will create a clear safety plan, including installation of security systems on the property itself and share information as needed and productive with any
- There are various discrepancies between Deschutes County Community Justice grant application and what the county is actually doing. Please see details here.
- The targeted property at 640 SE Wilson was originally listed for sale at $824,900 on 08/17/2023. The price dropped to $799,900 on 09/13/2023. It went pending at that list price on 11/20/2023, but sold at $825,000 on 12/20/23. Why? It was on the market for over 2 full months at $799,900 before the county made an offer on 11/20. Why did they end up paying $25,000 more than list price for this property? We have a right to an immediate answer.
- How many problems are enough to bring this to an end? In a different section of town, just one of these items would likely be enough to stop this facility. Here, in a less favored east side neighborhood, we must continually fight against being overrun by an endless stream of housing facilities & services for the needy. Enough! The inequity here is breathtaking.
- Solution: Immediately return the full grant to COIC. Cancel the contract with FreeOnTheOutside.org. Sell the targeted property on SE Wilson Ave. Apply for a suitable grant to build a 4 - 5 bedroom facility on county owned land that meets ALL the requirements outlined in the original grant proposal. Thank you.
Please consider taking a moment to sign a Change.Org petition against this facility.
This picture shows how Deschutes County's intended Community Justice/Parole and Probation facility directly overlooks the brand new multi-use path set to fully open soon on SE Wilson Ave from SE 2nd St. all the way to SE 15th St. Who here thinks our local governments should be doing better than this? Community Justice for WHO?
Here we have comment from a neighbor across the street from this property now owned by Deschutes County. It was shared with County Commissioner Adair and Community Justice Director Holcomb on January 22, 2024. We're so sorry this is the situation you and your family have found yourselves in P. M. Thank you for speaking out, and here's hoping someone will listen soon. We all deserve so much better than this!
To whom it may concern,
I am emailing today on behalf of my family who lives on Wilson Ave, across the street from the transitional shelter that the county is supporting.
My wife and I have been renters in this neighborhood for seven years and have always felt safe here, until now.
When I received notice that this was happening, I felt helpless. I called my landlord and was basically told that her hands were tied. So, I assumed mine were too.
However, I can’t just sit on the sidelines and not advocate for my family, for my two year old daughter.
I did speak with Mike Cross and he assured me that we did not have cause for concern. However, I was not convinced and after further research and considerations, I fully believe that Mike Cross can not be trusted.
My fear and anxiety over this situation slowly increases as we get closer to people occupying that space. So much so, that I’m not sleeping and Here’s why.
Because of the positions of the houses and the fact that the shelter is a two story the parolees will be able to see clearly into our yard and our windows. Sure, we could close the blinds our toddler should not have to live in a dark home.
My wife is our main financial provider for our family. Her job can be demanding and sometimes she works 10-12 hrs a day. This means I am home alone with my toddler the majority of the time.
I don’t drive but when the weather is nice my toddler and I walk. We go to the grocery stores, visit the library, grab a hot chocolate from the local Dutch Bros and visit both parks in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, I don’t feel safe doing that anymore.
Essentially, this decision that you have made will impact our daily lives greatly. The parolees will have their freedom while my daughter and I live in isolation.
While I understand the need for these shelters, there has to be a better location!
I am asking you to please reconsider because the current location is dangerously close to children, parks, schools and even the baseball field.
Thank you,
[name withheld]
To whom it may concern,
I am emailing today on behalf of my family who lives on Wilson Ave, across the street from the transitional shelter that the county is supporting.
My wife and I have been renters in this neighborhood for seven years and have always felt safe here, until now.
When I received notice that this was happening, I felt helpless. I called my landlord and was basically told that her hands were tied. So, I assumed mine were too.
However, I can’t just sit on the sidelines and not advocate for my family, for my two year old daughter.
I did speak with Mike Cross and he assured me that we did not have cause for concern. However, I was not convinced and after further research and considerations, I fully believe that Mike Cross can not be trusted.
My fear and anxiety over this situation slowly increases as we get closer to people occupying that space. So much so, that I’m not sleeping and Here’s why.
Because of the positions of the houses and the fact that the shelter is a two story the parolees will be able to see clearly into our yard and our windows. Sure, we could close the blinds our toddler should not have to live in a dark home.
My wife is our main financial provider for our family. Her job can be demanding and sometimes she works 10-12 hrs a day. This means I am home alone with my toddler the majority of the time.
I don’t drive but when the weather is nice my toddler and I walk. We go to the grocery stores, visit the library, grab a hot chocolate from the local Dutch Bros and visit both parks in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, I don’t feel safe doing that anymore.
Essentially, this decision that you have made will impact our daily lives greatly. The parolees will have their freedom while my daughter and I live in isolation.
While I understand the need for these shelters, there has to be a better location!
I am asking you to please reconsider because the current location is dangerously close to children, parks, schools and even the baseball field.
Thank you,
[name withheld]
Please consider taking a moment to sign a Change.Org petition against this facility.