Tim Cheney took a morning walk where he lives in Juniper Ridge on June 2. Neighbors took a break from home-improvement projects to greet him and chat. Dogs, some fenced and others loose, barked and played while their owners swapped notes about the area’s influx of new residents.
Monday morning, Juniper Ridge, better known as “Dirt World,” entered a new dawn as an officially sanctioned camp for the unhoused. It lies in a vast juniper forest north of Bend located on shared city and county property.
“We see about two to five new people each day,” said Cheney, 69 and a longtime unhoused resident. “They usually come at night and set up somewhere out of the way.”
As of June 2, the unhoused at Juniper Ridge are allowed to occupy a Temporary Safe Stay Area, which is sandwiched between Highway 97 and railroad tracks that run north-south. The area is also where many unhoused residents have already been sheltering. The TSSA guidelines allow for RVs, trailers and vehicles as shelter, but technically do not allow tents or makeshift shelters.
Matthew Stuart, the City of Bend’s real estate and facilities manager, also spent the morning of June 2 at Juniper Ridge. He noticed about eight people still residing on the east side of the train tracks, which is the de facto eastern perimeter of the TSSA. But they had made progress in relocating their belongings; they knew that they could retrieve the last of their things in the coming days, he said.
“Overall, everyone we talked to was aware [of the TSSA] and was finishing up and relocating from the property,” Stuart said. “It’s not smooth for the people, but from our standpoint, it’s gone well. We’ve been out there communicating and trying to help where we can.”
The TSSA was developed in a joint meeting on April 28 between officials with Deschutes County and the City of Bend, whose respective properties meet at Juniper Ridge. Officials, concerned about fire hazards and waste issues, enacted a partial closure of Juniper Ridge while outlining the TSSA there within.
“We have somewhere for people to go,” Stuart said. “It’s makes conversations a lot easier.”
Covering 170 acres of city and county property, the TSSA includes five hygiene stations that offer potable water, handwashing stations and portable toilets. There is also a dumpster for refuse. Contractors remove waste from abandoned campsites while security officers visit four times a day. Mitigating open-fire risks and issues stemming from dogs are the immediate priorities for officials, Stuart said. Service providers have also begun active case management with Juniper Ridge residents to get them into supportive housing.
The TSSA isn’t meant to be a permanent solution; officials anticipate a 50% reduction in space and services by Dec. 31. The next step, Stuart said, is a full closure of the TSSA by Dec. 31, 2026.
Since the U.S. Forest Service’s China Hat sweep on May 1, Juniper Ridge residents said they’ve noticed a lot of new faces.
Cheney has split his time between China Hat and Juniper Ridge since becoming unhoused in 2016. He recently worked at a Bend gas station, walking several miles each way along Highway 97, until he had a dispute with a manager. He stays busy doing odd jobs while helping out neighbors in the TSSA, he said.
Alora, a woman in her 30s who declined to give her last name, came out to greet Cheney. In the previous days, Alora had finished hauling her shelter from east of the railroad tracks, and she was exhausted.
“Wait, is today Monday?” she said. “Yes! That means the shower truck comes today.”
While brushing her teeth, Alora said she woke up recently to find new residents RV a stone’s throw from her shelter, which she fashioned out of pallets, tarps and rock walls. Her border collie, Shadow, had a run-in with the newcomers’ dog; as a result, she now keeps her dog tied to a line, but she’s worried about future encounters. Alora preferred the living arrangement she’d had on the east side of the tracks. Now, she says, everything is in limbo again.
“We’d all make dinner together, watch over each other’s stuff,” Alora said, adding that since the relocation, “I used to be able to have my dog off leash, but now I can’t. There’s a lot more stress.”
Cheney ventured to the now-closed section of Juniper Ridge to retrieve some lumber. But a 10-foot piece of aluminum siding, resting on a pile, caught his eye.
“I can scrap this!” Cheney said. “It’s worth about 10 bucks. Freebie!”Balancing the sheet on his head, Cheney plodded 10 minutes a friend’s shelter. Westin Harrel was home, tinkering beneath the treehouse he fashioned in a juniper tree with new pallets and tarps. Beneath sat a small living room and a small shelf, lined with books. Harrel had already built the treehouse before the area it’s in was enveloped by the TSSA boundaries. Officials said whether a person’s shelter was technically prohibited, such as tents or, well, treehouses, wasn’t the top of their enforcement priorities.
“I brought you a present,” Cheney said.
The two stood chatting about how Harrel would use the aluminum to reinforce his roof.
Stuart, the City’s real estate and facilities manager, said he hoped the TSSA could be the leg up unhoused people need as they move toward affordable housing.
“If the [TSSA] works, it could be a model for the future that we can use elsewhere,” Stuart said. “We’re giving it a try; so far, so good.”
This article appears in Source Weekly May 29, 2025.
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The county should prioritize building a high-barrier shelter that provides comprehensive services, including access to medical care, mental health support, and pathways to stability.
Its deeply concerning that, in our community and society, we are allowing people to live in such unsafe and unsanitary conditions; referred to as dirt world. This situation is not only detrimental to the individuals experiencing it, who clearly need structured support, but it also affects the overall well-being of the broader community.
Additionally, I am especially concerned about the welfare of animals in these environments. As a border collie owner, I know how much exercise, stimulation, and purpose this breed requires. Its not fair to the dog or any animal to live in conditions where their basic needs cannot be met. If someone is struggling to care for themselves, it may not be the right time to take on the responsibility of a pet. Animal welfare should be part of our response to this complex issue as well.
We let this happen. There is a choice. It was made a long time ago. It started in Portland, I was there and watched it. One day, the Mayor said ‘tents are cool, have at it’. They have been struggling ever since to put that back in the bag.
Central Oregon fell victim to the same people that cannot accept the fact that the majority of these people are in need of extreme drug treatment and extreme mental care. All we do is label them ‘homeless’ and we start the left/right arguments about how to deal with this. It’s insane!
There are communities all over this country who do NOT tolerate this. It’s a choice. It’s not inhumane. We have facilities for people. They go empty, with space available! People with meth and opioid addictions and/or mental issues cannot, do not, and will not stay in these facilities. Period.
Fire and hazardous waste are what these places like Dirt World provide the community. Nothing else. And when you close Dirt World……..the encampment will move. It always does.