Neighbors For A Better Pendleton urges city to move faster on homeless issues
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON — (News release from Neighbors for a Better Pendleton) Neighbors For A Better Pendleton is urging city leadership to take real action after receiving a delayed and non-substantive response from the city manager regarding the group’s formal proposal submitted to the Pendleton City Council on August 5, 2025.
At that August 5, 2025, meeting, more than 400 residents filled the council chambers and overflow area with one of the largest turnouts in city history to show support for practical, balanced solutions that address the community’s growing concerns over homelessness, safety, and livability.
After two months, the City’s response offered no plan for a reasonable path forward. The City’s response fails to address the concerns raised by Neighbors For A Better Pendleton regarding livability and safety and also does not appear to assist the homeless members of the community.
In August, Neighbors For A Better Pendleton presented to the City Council a comprehensive plan focused on both compassion and accountability, including:
1. Zoning restrictions on the placement of new social services in the downtown core to reduce safety and sanitation issues;
2. Biweekly coordination meetings among city, county, and law-enforcement leaders to ensure accountability and resource alignment; and
3. Improved collaborative governance between the City and County; improving accountability at the county jail, inmate transportation plans, and stronger prosecution protocols for repeat or high-level offenses to restore public safety.
The City has taken almost no action on these practical suggestions. Instead, the City is:
· Expanding services at the Neighbor to Neighbor warming station, providing free infrastructure and utilities for new laundry and shower facilities, which will further concentrate services in the downtown core;
· Considering changes to Pendleton’s Municipal Court to shift criminal offenses to the jurisdiction of the District Attorney’s Office, which would weaken enforcement of laws and reduce accountability for repeat offenders as well as overload an already strained DA’s Office; and
· Attracted a lawsuit for alleged violations of Pendleton’s resting ordinance. Notably, a similar lawsuit was filed in Grants Pass, Ore., which was resolved only after that city designated an area for its homeless population. Neighbors For A Better Pendleton has advocated for this approach but encourages a location outside the downtown area.
In the meantime, Neighbors For A Better Pendleton met with numerous members of the local homeless population, guided by a homeless individual who approached the group with his own concerns. These conversations with the homeless community brought to light similar safety concerns as Neighbors For A Better Pendleton has addressed with the City.
Neighbors For A Better Pendleton believes the homeless issue is not about politics but is rather about priorities. Pendleton deserves leadership that listens to its citizens, enforces its laws, and protects the spirit and safety of our community. Neighbors For A Better Pendleton has offered solutions, yet the city has chosen inaction and deflection.
Neighbors For A Better Pendleton’s proposals were never punitive but rather aimed at restoring balance to ensure that compassion for those in need is matched by accountability to protect the broader community and economic vitality.
The people of Pendleton are not asking for perfection; they’re asking for progress, and Neighbors For A Better Pendleton is ready to work collaboratively with the City but cannot continue to accept inaction while Pendleton’s downtown struggles and public safety concerns grow.
Neighbors For A Better Pendleton continues to call for the City to adopt its recommendations and move from discussion to implementation. The group invites residents to stay engaged, attend upcoming council meetings, and demand that city leadership reflect the values and priorities of its citizens. Stay up to date by following Neighbors For A Better Pendleton on Facebook. Community updates will be regularly posted there to keep citizens informed.
If you are a citizen of Pendleton who is also frustrated by the City of Pendleton’s lack of accountability and action and the state of downtown, Neighbors For A Better Pendleton encourages you to directly contact the city councilors who represent this area to state your concerns. John Thomas and Carole Innes represent Ward 1, which includes the downtown core. They also now sit on a Policy Task Force related to “Priority 1: Houseless/Unhoused Population” of the City’s new 2025-28 Strategic Plan. Their phone numbers are listed below (as stated on the City’s website), and links to their emails can be found at https://www.pendleton.or.us/council/page/council-members.
· John Thomas – 541-969-4436
· Carole Innes – 541-377-7935
Questions: NFABPendleton@gmail.com
File photo: Downtown Pendleton by Jasperdo
