Сокращение программы безопасной парковки в Редмонде из-за cuts финансирования

Redmond’s Safe Parking Program to shrink due to funding cuts Published 12:43 pm Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Most people can’t tell that Cristal DeJarnac is homeless. DeJarnac provides living assistance to intellectually and developmentally disabled adults. She acts as a I-9 verification notary, appraisal photographer and process server. She’s also running for care sector vice president of the state public worker and care provider union. She currently sits on the board of directors for SEIU 503 and represents 30,000 care providers across Oregon. “I wear a lot of different hats,” she said. DeJarnac has been living in an RV at one of Redmond’s Safe Parking Program sites for over a year. On multiple apartment waiting lists during that time, she thought it would just be a three month stint. Yet to lock down permanent housing, federal and state funding cuts may have forced DeJarnac to move into Redmond’s managed camp, where she said she may be concerned for her safety and personal belongings. But Mountain View was able to find her an open spot in Bend. Other people in the program likely won’t be as lucky. Safe parking provides unhoused individuals living in a vehicle or RV with a safe place to park. Redmond’s program is shrinking due to a lack of state funding and supplemental funding from the city of Redmond. Rick Russell, Mountain View Community Development executive director, said the program will shrink from 39 spaces in Redmond to 17. Mountain View will be able to keep all of its Bend sites thanks to the city of Bend valuing the effectiveness of the program and providing support. Mayor Ed Fitch said the city of Redmond appreciates Mountain View’s work and it’s unfortunate that the state has made cutbacks because it’s a good program. But the city does not have funds to provide to the Safe Parking Program. “We have been focused with the county on getting that managed camp up and running,” Fitch said. “So I think that will help, but we will also be asking the 2027 legislature to provide sufficient funding so that safe parking can be reengaged and back up to its full strength.” Effective transition Russell said 53% of the region’s unhoused population chooses to live in RVs. Safe parking accommodates that and works to transition those people into permanent living situations. Since 2023, Mountain View has helped 128 people move out of homelessness and into housing. Overall, the organization’s housing rate is 60%. Russell said 85% of families with children who have come into the program have left for permanent housing or transitional housing over the last year. And in the first half of this year, 31 people have found housing, putting the organization in a place where it’s rehousing someone every week. “We’re very proud of what our team has done and how we can help people and really, really help alleviate homelessness in the community,” Russell said. “We can operate at about half the cost of traditional shelter. So this is disappointing for us, but it’s just a reflection of where the funding is and what we can afford to do.” Where to move Russell notified DeJarnac last week that she would have to move out in four to eight weeks. Deschutes County is preparing to open its managed homeless encampment east of Redmond this month, and county leaders have discussed prioritizing people in safe parking after people living on CORE3 land, 17th Street and county property east of Redmond. While not too familiar with how the managed camp will work, DeJarnac said it seems pretty similar to living in Dirt World. Since she drives to the Willamette Valley often for clients and union work, she said it doesn’t sound like it would be suitable for her or a safe place to leave her belongings, like her second vehicle. The county has budgeted for security at the managed camp. As a home care provider, DeJarnac became homeless after her client, who she lived with, died. She was able to continue to live on the property following her client’s death until a $160,000 bill from the estate recovery program arrived. On many waiting lists for subsidized housing, DeJarnac said she can barely afford the rent. She had an appointment last Friday for a place listed for $1,149 per month. At 65, DeJarnac just recently started collecting $1,200 social security checks, but said it’s hardly enough to live on with her other forms of income. She needs an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) apartment, and preferably a ground floor, due to a vestibular imbalance caused by a car accident in 2022. But DeJarnac said she hasn’t let houselessness define her. “The one thing throughout this journey is I haven’t let it get me down,” DeJarnac said. “If I didn’t have my outlets with the union and stuff, it probably would have been more difficult. It would have been harder to deal with for sure.” An advocate Well connected in local and state politics, DeJarnac knows state Sen. Anthony Broadman and Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler on a first name basis. She’s also had a personal sit-down with Gov. Tina Kotek. A survivor of domestic violence, DeJarnac said keeping busy helps her get through tough times. Despite her living situation, she continues to be an advocate. “This actually has opened up a new avenue of advocacy for me because now I’m experiencing it firsthand,” DeJarnac said. The tri-county area — Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and Warm Springs — is set to receive $10.3 million to go toward housing assistance. Mountain View expects to receive about 1.5%, or about $150,000, of that, although Russell said the nonprofit contributes more than 20% of the region’s rehousing numbers. With funding aimed at communal shelters over Mountain View’s more outdoor-living, low-cost, transitional approach, Russell said the state doesn’t prioritize the model that works well in Central Oregon. Along with allowing her flexibility to work and travel, DeJarnac said the program and living in RVs is safer for women, women with children and older people. “I don’t think they get a true picture of it, honestly,” she said about the state. “Because they see that it’s people with addictions, and so they’re throwing money at the addictions — trying to fix that. They don’t see that it’s also affecting a lot more seniors or families and people with disabilities.” How to help: support Mountain View Community Development, visit safeparkingworks.org.