Grants Pass Will Enforce Public Camping Codes Again After Costly Settlement With Disability Rights Oregon
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Following the interdict granted against the City of Grants Pass earlier this year, preventing the city from enforcing two camping municipal codes, the city council has now reached a settlement with the plaintiff, Disability Rights Oregon (DRO), that will allow the city to enforce the codes.
Grants Pass and DRO Settle On Municipal Camping Rules
The city of Grants Pass voted to approve the settlement agreement during a city council meeting Wednesday after the DRO’s lawsuit filed in the Josephine County Circuit Court in January alleged that the city’s policies put unhoused people with disabilities at risk.
In March, the court banned Grants Pass from enforcing homeless rules until disability-friendly sites were built in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Lawyers for the city and DRO have, in the meantime, been seeking a consensus that would result in the injunction being lifted.
In the settlement agreement, there is no admission of liability, provided the city does the following:
- Supply ADA-compliant, low-barrier to entry capacity for 150 homeless people within the Urban Growth Boundary for one year. The site must have potable water for drinking and handwashing.
- Let a third party provide shade around water stations and/or porta-potty facilities.
- Develop a means to process reasonable accommodation requests from people with disabilities who can’t comply with city regulations.
- Provide a $60,000 grant to a non-profit to support capital development to provide services to homeless people.
- Pay legal fees of $85,000, bringing the total cost to $145,000.
The settlement agreement means that Grants Pass can now enforce regulations against camping in public parks.