Committee cobbles together master plan for shelter structure

The 2200 master plan as hoc committee reviews alterations to a plan months in the making Wednesday. Ashland.news photo by Morgan Rothborne
November 18, 2024

Plan for 2200 Ashland St. facility due for presentation to City Council

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news 

In a meeting lasting well into the dark of evening, the members of the 2200 Ashland Street master plan ad hoc committee ultimately approved a plan last Wednesday to present to Ashland City Council at Monday night’s study session, Nov. 18, but not without alterations, reservations and one member walking out. 

For three hours the final draft of a plan for the future use of the 2200 Ashland Street property was subjected to painstaking wordsmithing and rearranging. 

Trina Sanford, a resident and property owner on the south side of Ashland, advocated to change regular maintenance of the property to weekly due to a lack of trust in how the city could interpret the word “regularly.” 

“On Independant Way, I personally pay my landscaper to maintain city property. That’s why my street looks the way it does. … I don’t have trust in what the city finds to be visually appealing or regular,” Sanford said. 

After some discussion, the group agreed to the change. 

Facilitator Jan Calvin listens as members of the committee make final alterations to the master plan for 2200 Ashland Street. Ashland.news photo by Morgan Rothborne

Jason Houk, an organizer with nonprofit Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice, advocated for moving client’s expectations to the top.

“I think this should have been the very first thing, this is why we have this building, is to provide good service and help people. People that use the building deserve to be treated with respect,” he said. 

After some discussion, the group agreed. 

To sustain the remaining deliberations, some of the volunteer members pooled funds and had dinner delivered. The status of member’s kids and vacation plans were discussed until wrappers were crumpled and forks leaned out from empty containers. Discussion of the plan resumed with Debbie Neisewander, an advocate for homeless people, stating she was discouraged enough to want to “drop the whole thing.”

“We should be doing everything possible to make this situation bearable for homeless folks while we navigate all these loose ends and we’re not doing that,” she said. 

Some have accumulated fines of up to $1,100, arrest warrants and jail time from “not moving off fast enough” at the city’s dusk-to-dawn sleeping area, she said. The city’s camping ordinance gives officers the authority to issue citations and multiple citations becomes criminal trespass with a corresponding record that forms a barrier to employment and housing, she said. 

Debbie Neisewander, at right with orange cap, speaks during the final meeting of the 2200 Ashland Street master plan ad hoc committee. Ashland.news photo by Morgan Rothborne

“Sometimes we sit here and we talk about things and we come up with things but we really don’t look at the unintended consequences,” Neisewander said. 

Mayor Tonya Graham stated council was interested in seeing how the camping ordinance was playing out and that she and Neisewander should speak privately about this issue. 

“It is maddening sometimes, the pace of local government. But know that this is not something that’s being ignored. … Everyone here has done such good work and worked so hard and you are incredibly close to having something that is incredibly valuable to your council,” she said. 

Matthew McMillan, a member with lived experience of homelessness, told Debbie he understood her frustration. He saw the wider problem as “living in a capitalist society,” and that, while that is unlikely to change, he would rather act anyway. 

“It’s just what we have to work with and it’s either do this or drop it, and I’d rather try than not try. … How easy is it to change the system? We’ve been trying to do this for 200 years, 300 years? There are other groups out there doing work like this, it’s not all on your back,” he said. 

Debbie Neisewander holds up notes from a meeting with city staff years prior. Ashland.news photo by Morgan Rothborne

Neisewander stated this did not make her feel better. McMillan responded there was nothing he could say that would. Jan Calvin, facilitator of the group, pressed the discussion to the final section of the report. 

Allison Wildman, a neighbor of the building, asked to change “neighborhood” to “surrounding area” in a section concerning management of the property. Surrounding area would better incorporate business owners in addition to those living nearby, she said. The group agreed and invested another half an hour in additional minor alterations. 

Calvin then asked if there was agreement the plan was ready to send to council for approval. A few yeses went around the table. 

“I’m not in agreement. And I’m going to tell you why,” Neisewander said. 

“The inclement weather shelter is in chaos. There’s nothing put in place to work with those out on the street during this chaos. They’re feeling like they’re getting forgotten about, they’re still getting cited, they’re getting harassed. It is not acceptable,” she said. 

A member of the public attempts to track the changes made by committee members during the final meeting of the 2200 Ashland Street master plan ad hoc committee. Ashland.news photo by Morgan Rothborne

Wildman guessed Neisewander’s rejection of the plan the group had produced was out of protest to other city actions but Neisewander denied this. 

“I don’t feel the master plan is truly meeting the needs of the homeless. Don’t want people loitering in neighborhoods? Police will target them. It will prevent people from becoming stable enough to get services and get into housing. … When we create instability we can’t help folks. OK, so we’re saying we need more outreach? How can I do outreach when I’m hiking the perimeters of Ashland trying to seek people out? They’re in hiding. We’re chasing people away,” she said.  

Calvin asked Neisewander how the master plan chases people away. 

“It chases high barrier people away,” Neisewander said 

“We can’t meet all needs. Some will not be met here,” Calvin said. 

Neisewander responded that this was “crap” and she felt she could not support the plan, but that it did not matter. 

“You still won, you got all your votes. It doesn’t really matter what I think,” she said. 

Sanford and Wildman immediately stated it did matter. 

“My heart’s breaking for you right now, that you’re feeling this way,” Sanford said. 

“It’s going to be freezing cold this weekend,” Neisewander said. 

“I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that isn’t angry that the inclement weather shelter isn’t happening. It should have been stood up by now,” said Rachel Jones, another neighbor of the building. 

Sanford argued the committee was doing what it was tasked to do, which was smaller than what Neisewander was “hoping and dreaming of and rightfully asking for.” Sanford suggested adding to the master plan an explicit request to bring the building up for fire code for the severe weather shelter immediately. The group agreed. 

“We’re not answering all the need. We’re not even answering the most critical need. And to face this week the way you’re facing this week is devastating. And it may mean the end of some people’s lives this week and don’t think that does not sink into the hearts here,” Calvin said. 

Neisewander responded she did not believe that it did. 

The city’s present actions with homelessness were as discouraging as its past, she explained, pulling out a slightly worn sheet of green paper. On it were notes from a meeting with herself, Tonya Graham as mayor, previous City Manager Joe Lessard and city councilors, including Bob Kaplan, she said pointing across the table at the councilor. 

The paper listed concerns — safety for children, unsightliness of tent camps and homeless people feeling harassed without a safe place to go. The result of that meeting was the dusk-to-dawn camping area (also known as the night lawn), Neisewander said. 

“It says in here, in bold, multiple times, ‘We are not here to solve homelessness.’ I think it’s like, we have the ingredients to make a cake. And if you want a stew, we can’t make that. It’s not possible. We don’t have the ingredients to do those other things. … Believe me, I was watching people die. I was worried about myself. But there’s only so much a person can do,” McMillan said. 

Neisewander packed up her things and walked out. 

The remaining members almost came to agreement on the plan again. Houk expressed concern his approval would come with corresponding trust from those who know him and if it failed, threaten his credibility. The plan was too loose, he said, he did not have faith the city would not take advantage of that. 

“We talked about building a cake. And we needed ingredients. Here’s an ingredients list that tells you what not to put into it. You don’t put nutmeg. Don’t put addiction, don’t put mental illness, all the things you can’t put in but there’s nothing that says what you should put in here,” he said. 

Graham stated the city was trying its best to act in a state of change and crisis. Calvin reminded him the next committee assembled to work on the property’s future would tighten up the plan. 

“I think we all are struggling with once we hand this off, we don’t have control and what’s going to happen, we don’t know,” Jones said. 

“But I think what we’ve done is our very best to put something together that is going to be providing dignity and quality service to people that need it that also has some compromise so that it meets the needs of the businesses and the people that are already in this area. … We just have to trust,” she said. 

Houk agreed to trust with good faith and approve the plan, then “continue to work in good faith and moving forward I’m going to continue to hold us to this high standard.”

Kaplan contacted Ashland.news via text message the following evening to state Neisewander had changed her stance and supported the plan. Contacted via text, Niesewaner affirmed her support. 

“I’m going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” she said. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].

Related stories:

‘Finally wrapping up with the unknowns’ : 2200 committee works toward finalizing shelter plan

 (Nov. 3, 2024)

Future uncertain for Ashland’s severe weather shelter at 2200 Ashland St. (Oct. 31, 2024)

Public comment window for 2200 Ashland St. property nears end (Oct. 20, 2024)

Public forum planned regarding plans for 2200 Ashland St. (Sept. 26, 2024)

No easy answers: 2200 Ashland Street ad hoc committee parses through the possibilities (Aug. 26, 2024)

‘Already the 11th hour of crisis’: Ashland council reviews Homeless Services Masterplan (Aug. 7, 2024)

Success and snafu as Ashland’s 2200 Ashland St. shelters transition (April 10, 2024)

Ashland City Council declines funds for emergency shelter (March 6, 2024)

Ashland City Council weighs costs, benefits of 2200 Ashland St. shelter (March 5, 2024)

Ashland City Council to discuss future of 2200 Ashland St. Monday (March 1, 2024)

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Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at [email protected].

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