November 26, 2019 10:20 a.m.
Douglas County is at odds with the City of Roseburg and says it is being forced to remove a temporary homeless shelter.
A release from the Board of Commissioners said the respite shelter, located in the parking lot just east of the Roseburg Public Library, will be removed on December 2nd. The release said a notice of impending closure was placed on the shelter on Monday, in accordance with state law.
The release said the shelter received mixed reviews of public opinion, but the closure ultimately comes from an impasse with the City. The property where the shelter is located is zoned Commercial and a Conditional Use Permit is required by the City. Commissioner Chris Boice said “there is no clear pathway to get an approval of a Conditional Use Permit”. He said “despite attempts by the County to find a way to get approval from the City, it became very apparent that there was no pathway to an approval”.
The release said earlier this year after the Commissioners received numerous formal complaints regarding safety and health concerns from employees and from residents visiting the courthouse, Boice decided to take action. The concerns stemmed from issues with homeless people that were sleeping, littering, and defecating near the entrances to the courthouse, according to the release. Boice presented the idea of a permanent shelter to the City and then decided to try a smaller scale pilot project in the parking lot which is owned by the county near Deer Creek.
Boice said “we are struggling with the effects of homelessness just like everyone else”. He said “there is no one solution that is going to miraculously solve the homeless problem, nor can we just sit back and hope the problem goes away”. Boice said by presenting the homeless camp idea to the City of Roseburg and setting up the temporary shelter, they were hoping to collaborate in “the development of real solutions to address the homeless issue”.
Boice said “instead we ran into nothing but resistance and the people using the shelter have been continually cited for sleeping in it”. The temporary shelter area included a small covered metal structure, garbage can, picnic table, portable toilet, sharps disposal container, and some stipulations for the site cleanliness.
Boice said the County will continue to explore ideas to address homelessness and stands ready to help the City of Roseburg and other cities that have ideas about the issue.
News Radio 1240 KQEN has asked Roseburg Mayor Larry Rich for a response to the County release.