The Grants Pass City Council voted today to award the Addressing Homelessness Grant to Pathways to Stability, moving one step closer to establishing a managed homeless encampment in the city. The designated location for the encampment will be at the end of N Street, located at 1798 S.E. N Street. Concerns were raise on location since it is located next to Riverside Elementary School.
The property is owned by Josephine County, the Board of County Commissioners must approve the use of the site before November 5th, the date the contract is set to be officially awarded.
The council held a special workshop earlier in the day to review the Addressing Homelessness Grant Program Application process. City staff outlined strict requirements for qualifying proposals, including:
- The site must be within the city’s Urban Growth Boundary,
- Be fully operational within six months,
- Offer 24/7 managed shelter services for up to 150 people, and
- Meet all ADA compliance standards.
Disqualifiers included failure to meet these program requirements, improper communication, unacceptable location based on code compliance, or missing deadlines.
Following discussion, the Council selected Pathways to Stability as the award recipient. It is believed that two councilors voted against the decision, but the motion ultimately passed, allowing the city to move forward with the next stage of approval.
