The Grants Pass City Council voted 5-3 Wednesday to approve a notice of intent to award the contract for a $1.2 million homelessness grant to Elk Island Trading Group, which runs three homeless camps in Roseburg. Its proposal calls for sheltering 160 people in converted shipping containers and pallet houses.
Elk Island Operations Manager Bernie Woodard said they’re in this for the long haul.
"Our goal is to get this built, to find a real solution and to help move Grants Pass forward," he said. "We can’t do it on our own. We never could have come down here and done it on our own. I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work on your own. It works when the city’s behind you. It works when the staff’s behind you."
Elk Island will partner closely with local service providers, especially the homeless services nonprofit MINT. Elk Island will purchase its own half-acre parcel for $200,000, and some of Elk Island’s shipping containers will be on MINT’s land next door.
MINT Board President Scott Nelson said they’re excited about the collaboration.
"This is 160 beds. We know that there are many more individuals who may need services," he said. "This is, I hope, just the beginning of what we can do to transform Grants Pass from what has been maybe a difficult situation into a model community."
Under the terms of the grant, the site must be managed 24/7 and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It must also provide security, restrooms, trash, handwashing, safe drinking water and parking. It needs to have on-site, or easily accessible, case management, substance use recovery or mental health support, workforce development, housing navigation and medical services.
The goal is for people to stay no longer than 90 days.
During Wednesday's meeting, one councilor was concerned about Elk Island's ongoing lawsuit against the city of Roseburg, asking if Woodard would do the same in Grants Pass, which he denied he would do.
"I don’t think there’s anybody in my life I've confronted that didn't confront me first," Woodard said. "When I’m confronted and somebody doesn't do what they say they're going to do, I believe as a human and an American, I have a right to stand up and voice my opinion, and sometimes that's in court."
Elk Island's lawsuit against Roseburg alleges, in part, that the city’s actions “effectively [concentrated] 200-400 homeless individuals adjacent to Plaintiff’s land,” which then experienced theft and vandalism.
The site would be required to be staffed at all times. Another councilor was concerned about Woodard not living in Grants Pass.
Almost everyone who spoke during the public comment period supported Elk Island's proposal.
Kate Huckert lives across the street from one of the city's unmanaged homeless camps downtown. Opening Elk Island's program would allow the city to close those sites.
"As a medical provider myself, the fact that he's right next to MINT gives me a great deal of confidence that this program will be the most successful possible," Huckert said. "Let’s pull together and do this."
Grants Pass has been sued twice in recent years over its treatment of homeless residents and has tried multiple times to award this grant.
Councilor Indra Nicholas said the decision was an important step.
"We’ve been under this cloud for a long time," she said. "I feel so hopeful. I just want to move forward one little step at a time. It may not be perfect, but we're covering our legal bases, we're helping people, and we're just taking that step forward."
After a week-long protest period, the next step is executing the grant agreement with Elk Island. The site must open by June 1.
