A6 THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2022
Program
Continued from A1
Russell said some people
come into the program and re-
main for just a few weeks until
they find better arrangements.
Others may take a couple of
months to find housing. The av-
erage stay is about 60-90 days,
he said, for participants get back
on their feet.
According to Russell, the
program is purposefully small.
Usually, there are only between
two and four participants at a
time. This ensures workers keep
a controlled safe and clean envi-
ronment.
LOCATION & SAFETY
Safety was one of the main
driving factors behind the
packed council hall. Many
voiced concerns that expanding
the location to the north end
of Dry Canyon would increase
the risk of criminal activity and
lower property values.
But, according to Russell,
there hasn’t been any criminal
activity and there have been
no complaints from neighbors
since starting the program at
Mountainview.
According to Russell, the new
site will be closely monitored. If
something does happen, Lewis
Council
Continued from A1
parking lot for about a year.
Pastor Rick Russell said it has
has been successful in helping
houseless people gather them-
selves and takes step toward
housing. Mountainview has
generally had about four partici-
pants in the program at a time.
At the meeting, Redmond Po-
lice Chief Devin Lewis said that
officers had seen no increase
in emergency calls or reported
crimes at the Mountainview
parking site, or nearby, since the
program went into effect.
Yet neighborhood residents
said it would be a different story
along 19th Street, north of Dry
Canyon. They said the dark
area — without water, sewer
or plumbing — is at the edge
Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin
The current location of the safe parking program behind the Mountainview Fellowship church in Redmond.
said that neighbors can call the
Redmond Police Department
or Deschutes County Sheriff’s
office.
Russell said so far the pro-
gram has avoided problems. At
Mountainview, the parking lot
has proven to be a safer, cleaner
place with program participants
living there overnight.
Before they arrived at the
church, Russell said they would
find bottles, drug paraphernalia,
clothes and other items around
their parking lot, he said.
When people started living
in the lot, the participant began
notifying RSPP if anyone ar-
rived uninvited. According to
Russell, even litter disappeared
when the program started up.
Russell said the program may
seem to invite chaos, but “it
turns out to be the opposite.”
Many who attended the
council were worried not just
for their safety — but also for
the safety of the people taking
part in the program.
“It’s not the program,” said
of city limits and would invite
non-sanctioned campers to the
area and increase crime and pol-
lution.
It is near a popular paved path
that is commonly used by bicy-
clists, jogger and dog walkers.
Numerous homes are nearby.
But most focused on the fact
that they did not know anything
about the project in advance.
Susan Torassa, who lives in
the neighborhood, said that
“transparency was definitely
missing in the sneaky selection
and preparation of the public
property.”
She asked for the property to
be reevaluated and relocated to
another parcel of city-owned
land out of her neighborhood
and closer to services.
“If this is such a good idea,
where is the transparency?”
The program allows people to live for up to 90
days in RVs or vehicles, as long as they agree to
a code of conduct and work to find more secure
long-term housing. While using safe parking,
participants cannot use drugs or alcohol and
must work with a case manager.
echoed resident Dusty Stenkamp.
“You guys would have got a
lot more compassion from us by
doing it differently,” said Kirsten
Rodin.
Mike Murphy, a builder who
has lived in the neighborhood
for more than 20 years, agreed
that the parking program is “no-
ble,” but the chosen site is poor.
Yet others were against the
program itself, saying it will in-
Rick Torassa, who lives in the
area. “It’s the location. The way
the program is operating at the
church is perfect. It’s absolutely
perfect.”
He argued that the Pershall
location is unsafe. It’s dark and
has wild animals like coyotes,
badgers and skunks. It is not
connected to services like water
and sewer, Torassa said.
He proposed nine different
locations around Redmond that
he believes could work better,
including where the new police
crease crime and contribute to
homelessness and lawlessness.
“You call it safe parking, I call
it a homeless camp,” said neigh-
bor Tamara Murphy. She noted
that she was also worried about
the possibility of wildfire start-
ing at the camp and spreading
quickly down the canyon.
Neighbor Alan Lawyer said
programs like this should not
operate near “million-dollar
department will be constructed
or Homestead Park on NW Ca-
nal Blvd.
GUIDELINES/REQUIREMENTS
Participants in the program
must agree to numerous rules in
order to remain on site.
First, they must sign a “Be
Neighborly” agreement with
a laundry list of rules, includ-
ing quiet hours from 9 p.m. to
7 a.m., no tents or improvised
camping, no drugs or alcohol,
vehicles must remain operable,
homes.”
Rick Russell, lead pastor
at Mountainview Fellowship
Church who runs the program,
spoke after the public had their
say. He said the safe program
initiative has been successful at
their church, as has one in the
VFW parking lot in Redmond.
He said it is highly organized
— people cannot just show up
and park their vehicle and re-
main forever. Most of its partic-
ipants, he said, are people who
have recently become homeless
due to medical issues or the
loss of employment, and they
just need some place to be set-
tled and safe while they look for
other options.
Russell apologized for not
communicating with neighbors
about the program, but said he
does work to “keep it quiet” in
pets must be on leashes, all per-
sonal property must remain in-
side vehicles and no dumping of
RV or trailer sewage or water is
permitted. Additionally, no fires
or barbecues are allowed.
Portable toilets will also be
included and, if needed, Russell
said they can contract with a
waste management company to
service the site.
“The cleanliness of the site is
very important to us,” Russell said.
If anyone violates these rules
Sierra Hopper, the case manager
for the program, said “they will
be kicked out.”
Additionally, every private
entity that decides to host the
program will be able to create
their own criteria for it. For in-
stance, the current VFW loca-
tion requests that homeless vet-
erans are prioritized.
Everyone in the program
must also work with a case
manager to find stable housing.
Russell said they will help
participants in any way they
can, explaining that if some-
one doesn’t have health insur-
ance that they’ll connect them
with the Oregon Health Plan.
If someone has parking tickets,
they’ll help them navigate the
process.
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@
redmondspokesman.com
order for the program to blend
into neighborhoods and not
bring unwanted attention. He
said that works better for the
people in the safe parking pro-
gram, and reduces the chances
that others not part of the pro-
gram will congregate in the area.
When public discussion
ended and councilors had their
chance to speak, many said they,
too, were caught off guard by
the program. The city of Red-
mond had used $50,000 in
ARPA funds to seed the pro-
gram at Mountainview last year,
but multiple councilors said
they were not aware about the
program’s expansions and they
should have been better in-
formed about the plan and the
use of tax dollars.
█
Reporter: ttrainor@
redmondspokesman.com
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