Roseburg's effort to tighten rules for permitted homeless camps stalled Monday as city councilors voted down a proposal they said could make it harder to operate camps while doing little to address unmanaged homelessness.
Roseburg adopted its tent camping resolution in 2022, allowing nonprofit, public and commercial entities to operate regulated homeless camps. Elk Island Trading Group is the only organization that has opened sites under the program.
City staff said the proposed changes were drafted because of a request from Elk Island's operations manager, Bernie Woodard, although Woodard said he disagreed with nearly all of the proposed updates.
The proposal included adding a 14-day public comment period for new sites, establishing a two-year permit for each site and prohibiting site operators from requiring residents to work as a condition of staying there, a practice Elk Island uses and has received pushback for.
"The proposed amendments are intended to improve consistency, accountability, public safety, and neighborhood compatibility while continuing to allow regulated temporary camping opportunities within the City," according to meeting materials.
Resident John Berman spoke against the proposed rules, which he said would make it harder for Elk Island to operate its camps.
"To make it more difficult for him [Woodard] to affect change here, it's just wrong," he said. "Do not accept these updates. They will do nothing to make the homeless situation better."
Others agreed, saying the proposed changes would make things harder for camp operators.
"There's so many barriers to camping in that [the proposed changes] that there won't be any new camps," Woodard said.
But Community Development Director Stuart Cowie said the city is trying to balance multiple perspectives, including those of people who live near tent camps and have complained.
"There are additional barriers here for an operator," he said. "But this was feedback that we received also from neighboring property owners, and so it's trying to be a balance of both of those things."
Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein said the city has received more complaints about Deer Creek Park, where homeless people often camp, than about any of Elk Island's sites.
Others questioned why the city was focusing on updating the camping regulations rather than creating its own urban campground.
Roseburg has considered and rejected multiple sites for an urban campground, including canceling a deal to buy property meant for that purpose.
A Monday agenda item about city-owned downtown parking lots being used as potential urban campgrounds was never discussed and will be moved to the next meeting.
Councilors ultimately rejected the proposed changes, 5-2, and called on the city to address unmanaged homelessness, particularly in Deer Creek Park.
"I do live right by one of Bernie's camps, and I do live right by Deer Creek. And Deer Creek needs to be addressed in the worst sort of way," Councilor Ellen Porter said. "I just can't agree with putting more barriers up right now, especially until the city has figured out how to deal with this."
Woodard said Elk Island recently shut down one of its camps because of interference from unmanaged camping in Deer Creek Park.
Copyright 2026 Jefferson Public Radio
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.