Grants Pass Resolve To Identify Public Camping Locations But Still Struggle With Homeless Challenges

GRANTS PASS, Ore — A resolution was adopted at a Grants Pass city council meeting on Wednesday night that will allow camping at specific sites.

Camping will be allowed on two public resting sites but the city is still struggling to make long-term plans to resolve the plight of homeless people following the Supreme Court hearing earlier this year.

2 Grants Pass Camping Sites Will Allow Camping For Up To A Week

Two Grants Pass sites will allow a person to set up a campsite for up to a week at any one time before being obliged to move elsewhere. They are:

• A specifically marked section of the future water treatment plant on 755 SE J St.
• A specifically marked section of 704 NW 6th St.

The week-long stay is an extension from the two sites’ previous stay times: The J Street site previously had a 96-hour limit and camping on the 6th Street site was limited to 24 hours at a time.

The resolution extends these periods to a week. Two other sites- Baker Park and Riverside Park, will be closed. A third site was discussed at the council meeting but the committee elected to wait until their next business meeting in October to consider approving an additional site.

A motion to put forward a $325,000 supplemental budget to operate the resting sites was also passed by a 7-1 majority vote.

Grants Pass Faces Struggle To Resolve Homelessness Over The Longer Term After US Supreme Court Decision

About 70 tents have been set up on about 1.25 acres next to Highway 199 in an industrial section of Grants Pass in a field enclosed by a chain-link fence, one of the two sites where homeless people may camp in the city.

The site has 6 white shade canopies, 4 porta-potties, 2 blue dumpsters, and a handwashing station. Cameras also monitor the site, one of two sites allocated to comply with the June U.S. Supreme Court Ruling.

See also: Grants Pass Supreme Court Win

While the city won the case- upholding the ban on camping, Grants Pass must still comply with state law that dictates that rules dealing with homeless camping must be objectively reasonable. The allocation of the two sites is a response to this.

Many concerns have been raised including about fire hazards and mud. Some have called the camping sites “concentration camps.”

Others point to the uneven, rocky ground that presents a tripping hazard, and some find it mentally challenging to live in a confined space with so many other people. Businesses in the area have complained about crime and disturbances.

One of the campers, Janine Harris, said unlike many places she had previously stayed at had bathrooms and running water but she struggles more in the current site. The Josephine County homeless services provider MINT has now set up several shade canopies and nonprofits bring in bottled water.

The city also needs to contend with a 2020 court injunction which they seek to be lifted.

The case is currently awaiting certain formalities from the 9th Circuit Court. Aaron Hisel, the attorney for the city said, “It won’t have a lot of practical changes on the ground, whether or not the injunction goes away, but it is still something we need to close that door on this case for sure.”

The sites designated as camping spots are temporary and one is earmarked as the city’s new water treatment plant whereas the other site is too small to hold the hundreds of homeless people estimated to live in Grants Pass.

This is complicated by the seats of Mayor Sara Bristol and four other city council members coming up for election in November. A potential leadership change makes it harder to create a long-term plan.

Mayor Bristol would like to see more housing and a low-barrier shelter- something the city doesn’t have. While the Supreme Court decision prompted action by the city, a long-term solution to the homeless crisis in Grants Pass must still be found.