In January 2025, the Homeless Leadership Coalition counted 1,611 people experiencing homelessness in Deschutes County. Of that number, at least 374 were homeless in Redmond, said the HLC, which is Central Oregon’s designated Continuum of Care – a federal program designed to oversee resources to address homelessness regionally.
Getting even one person off the street, and making sure the roof over their head stays there, is a task that can require significant, committed effort from advocacy groups, doubly so when the unhoused person in question is physically or mentally disabled.
Projects like the Mountain View Community Village, which promises 75 new long-term homes in east Redmond for disabled, unhoused individuals, are part of the never-ending fight to keep the annual street count from growing.
On Dec. 12, Mountain View Community Development learned that its village proposal had won a $3 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank in Des Moines, Iowa. Oregon has been under that bank’s 11-state jurisdiction since 2015. The money comes through the Affordable Housing Program, a nationwide FHLB directive that has financially supported homeownership and subsidized rentals since 1990.
“We’re building stronger, more resilient communities for the people who live and work in them,” said Kris Williams, president and CEO of FHLB Des Moines. “This is a shared commitment and a shared impact we’re proud to advance.”
Rick Russell, executive director of Mountain View Community Development, said that the nonprofit is “grateful” for FHLB’s sponsorship. “We went through a lengthy application process, and submitted our application last May,” he told the Source. “Of 254 applications, 54 were selected.”
The awarded amount of $3 million is no small sum, but the total project is expected to cost more than $20 million. Mountain View expects the rest of the funding to come from the state – specifically, Oregon Housing & Community Services.
“We are in the midst of a lengthy process with them but have completed many of the steps, including their Permanent Supportive Housing Institute [training],” Russell stated. “We expect to secure private donations from individuals and foundations as well.”
He added, “For ongoing funding, one of several sources will be rent. Residents will pay one-third of their income.”
Mountain View is known for operating a Safe Parking program in Deschutes County, but “the funding landscape for services like this is very precarious right now,” Russell said. A press release from the nonprofit reads that its “Safe Parking & Microshelters Program is still looking to make up $237,500 in losses,” and Russell informed the Source that Mountain View is “seeking to bridge $153,500 to operate [the program] at reduced capacity.”
The Community Village is a “distinct project” from Safe Parking and Microshelters, and its grant money cannot be diverted to other programs.
Across the board, nonprofits and advocacy groups dedicated to combating homelessness have their teeth gritted. “Cuts at the federal level impact state budgets, which has in turn impacted funding available for shelter. The funding landscape for services like this is very precarious right now,” said Russell.
The push for progress continues locally, despite fiscal anxiety. According to Mountain View, the Community Village will “triple the number of permanent supportive housing units in Central Oregon.”
Sited on leased county land north of the Redmond airport, the nearly 9.5-acre village will have “one- and two-bedroom cottage-style units with on-site case management,” as the Source reported in April. Mountain View also has plans for a garden, dog park, and classrooms. “Our case managers will work on site to help people maintain their access to medical care, behavioral health or mental health care, if they need help with addiction recovery,” Russell said.
Who qualifies for these units? “Residents will have to be considered chronically unhoused and to have a disability, which can include behavioral health, mental health, and addiction, as well as physical disabilities,” Russell explained. “However, we recognize from operating Safe Parking that a significant portion of our participants are seniors who have been waiting on housing for years, and that’s part of the compelling reason for us to build this project as fast as we can.”
Studies show that residential communities close to airports can develop health issues, but the site’s proximity to RDM doesn’t bother Mountain View, as the village “is not in the runway protection zone,” Russell told the Source. “The city of Redmond is also investing in developing housing on the east side of town, and we don’t have any concerns.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and finish in late 2027.
This article appears in the Source December 25, 2025.
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