A new safe parking program will create six micro shelter units at the site of the Deschutes County Public Safety Campus in north Bend. Mountain View Community Development, the organization running the safe parking program in Redmond, identified the nearly .05-acre site as viable location, allowing more safe spaces for individuals experiencing homelessness to live.
On June 11, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1, allowing MVCD to operate its safe parking program on the site for 12 months, with a 90-day check in to make sure things are running smoothly.
The site is near the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and directly next to the Bend Animal Hospital, among other businesses and neighborhoods.
The site, like others in the region, provides a safe place for people living in vehicles or micro shelters, offering case management to help move people to more stable housing.
Commissioner Tony DeBone voted against the program, stating that he didn’t agree with the perceived permanence of these types of shelters.
According to Rick Russell, director of MVCD, certain safety parameters are put in place at each of its locations, including fencing, cameras, background checks and near-daily visits from staff members. Amenities include a porta potty, electric power and garbage service.
The nonprofit, Russell said at the June 11 meeting, has already completed a significant notification process for the safe parking site. Starting in early March, MVCD spoke with neighboring businesses, homeowners and stakeholders involved with the planned Public Safety Campus.
While Russell said some businesses had concerns, MVCD only received pushback from one nearby business. The nonprofit also received some opposition from nearby neighborhoods, but none from its immediate neighbors.
Bend City Councilor Megan Perkins, who attended the June 11 meeting, said she supported the public safety location for safe parking and urged county commissioners to consider the decision.
While MVCD is working on expanding to more locations in Bend, Perkins mentioned the success of other safe parking sites operating throughout the city.
“Right now, we currently have six sites operating throughout the city of Bend, and many of them have operated for several years,” Perkins said at the meeting. “We believe that the more service providers offering safe parking, the more effective we can be at getting people into stable housing.”
The public safety site would be the ninth location for MVCD, which expects to also announce its 10th site in a few weeks, Russell said. Moving forward, the City of Bend has contracted with Mountain View to create 20 parking or micro shelter spaces within city limits.
According to Russell, the safe parking program has a total of 35 parking spaces, has served 129 individuals served and has moved 45 individuals into permanent housing.
This article appears in Source Weekly June 12, 2025.
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