A timeline of Grants Pass’ housing crisis since SCOTUS decision
https://www.kdrv.com/news/top-stories/a-timeline-of-grants-pass-housing-crisis-since-scotus-decision/article_b8cb3ba4-d91c-11ef-b749-837ec5739c96.html
This site offers a great reference to the timeline of events since the SCOTUS decision; A few highlighted dates are below:
Aug. 7, 2024: City council votes unanimously in favor of a camping resolution. This resolution establishes resting sites at J Street, Baker Park, Riverside Park and City Hall.
Aug. 10, 2024: Mayor Sara Bristol tells NewsWatch 12 the resting sites are temporary, while the city works with local organizations on future solutions.
–> Oct. 3, 2024: DRO Director Thomas Stenson sent notice to City of Grants Pass with CC to Mayor Sarah Bristol and council on October 3rd, 2024, long before the new mayor and council were even elected of ongoing ADA noncompliance issues. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6387d767fc8a755e41aa5844/t/66fdb0e5a03fad0ef858cc6d/1727901925507/DRO+Letter+re+Grants+Pass+Notice_10.3.24.pdf
Dec. 8, 2024: City council approves grant funding for a low-barrier MINT shelter at 220 Redwood Highway.
Some people want to say it was temporary until the MINT program was up and running (an excuse that doesn’t hold up), 4 months after stating it was temporary. The biggest problem with that excuse is even with MINT program, it would take some time (months) to get the building and shelter together for use. The building was also in need of huge costly repairs. On top of which, the MINT shelters could never even come close to holding all the people in the two campsites. That begs the question, what was Sara Bristol going to do with the warning that came in about ADA noncompliance back in October and the people in the campsites. Was newly elected mayor and newly elected city council given this ADA noncompliant notice?
Jan. 6, 2025: Mayor Scherf and council members are sworn into office.
Jan. 21, 2025: New overnight hours are enforced at 7th Street’s site. The City of Grants Pass is enforcing new operating hours for a resting site at 755 SE J Street. This location was formerly a designated campsite for those experiencing homelessness in the city. On Jan. 7, 2025, Grants Pass City Council voted 5-2 in favor of transitioning this site only to allow overnight camping, and in favor of shutting down a larger site on J Street.
Jan. 24, 2025: The City of Grants Pass will close the J Street resting site at 12 a.m.
In regard to the Grants Pass City Lawsuit that was just filed, for the record:
Under the lawsuit, “CLAIMS FOR RELIEF” there are two claims for relief. One dealing with limiting access and the second dealing with ADA compliant (previous mayor and city council failed to make these camps ADA compliant).
Claim I: Objectively Unreasonable Regulation of Homeless Camping Under ORS 195.530
* This is going to be the tricky aspect of the lawsuit since it is not uncommon to find camps with limited hours as is the case with Cottage Grove where they closed down their 7/24 camps and have only one with hours of: 7PM to 7AM. It will come down to how you define “Objectively Unreasonable”.
Claim II: Violation of Oregon State Non-Discrimination Law (ORS 659A.142)
“Under Oregon state law, a place of public accommodation may not discriminate against a person with a disability. ORS 659A.142(4).”
* This is directly the result of the previous mayor and previous city council for not setting these camps up ADA compliant when they first started them many months ago.
DRO Director Thomas Stenson sent notice to City of Grants Pass with CC to Mayor Sarah Bristol and council via on October 3rd, 2024, long before the new mayor and council were even elected of these ADA issues.
In part from the above email is, “In addition to these issues outlined above, the City’s policy and practices violate the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fair Housing Act, because the City discriminates against people with disabilities who are unable to or cannot safely physically move themselves and their belongings over long distances.”
Short Version Time Line:
Timeline:
Aug 7 – Bristol Watch sets up homeless camps.
Oct 3 – Bristol Watch receive official ADA noncompliance letter.
Jan 6 – Newly elected officials take office.
Jan 21 – New hours for 7th camp.
Jan 24 – J street camp closed.
Jan 30 – Lawsuit filed.
There was no change in the homeless camps until Jan 21, 9 days before the lawsuit was filed. Yet if you read the lawsuit and the Daily Courier article the conditions of these sites were ongoing since the very beginning, back to Aug 7 when they were created.
Example from the Courier article:
Please note the word “months”: “Dr. Bruce Murray, a local physician who has been helping homeless people with their medical issues, said the city of Grants Pass had been warned for months about deteriorating conditions at the camping sites.”
- This is on Sara Bristol’s watch and the old city council. New mayor and city council have only been in office since Jan 1, hardly months.
This is directly on Sara Bristol:
The lawsuit says the bare-bones sites with no running water or smooth walking paths weren’t set up to accommodate disabled people using walkers, wheelchairs and canes.
- This is on Sara Bristol’s watch and the old city council. They are the ones who set these camps up.
I will further emphasis the letter sent to the Mayor Bristol on Oct 3rd of last year, long before the newly elect mayor came into office. This letter spells out exactly what is in the lawsuit. The lawsuit is a direct result of actions taken under the Bristol Watch. Read it yourself, dated Oct 3rd.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6387d767fc8a755e41aa5844/t/66fdb0e5a03fad0ef858cc6d/1727901925507/DRO+Letter+re+Grants+Pass+Notice_10.3.24.pdf
Lawsuit: