Housing & Homelessness

Bend pauses plans to clear homeless encampment

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Emily Cureton

Published March 2, 2023 at 4:26 PM PST

A camper parked on North Hunnel Road in Bend, Ore. The city of Bend announced plans to clear the camp in March due to a construction project.

Bend officials announced Wednesday night that they will delay clearing a large encampment from the city’s northern outskirts.

The camp on Hunnell Road shelters roughly 100 people, and was going to be cleared on March 16.

But Bend City Manager Eric King and other city officials faced considerable pressure to back down because there aren’t enough approved shelters available elsewhere.

On Wednesday, King said the removal will wait. He said two factors influenced the decision: A change in plans for upcoming road construction, and an agreement with Deschutes County this week to set up a managed camp for unhoused people.

That site will take two to three more months to prepare.

Earlier this week, the ACLU of Oregon and local advocates threatened to sue over the city’s crackdown on camping.