TIGARD, Ore. — With homelessness rising across Washington County, Tigard city leaders are revisiting their camping regulations while pressing for greater equity in the county’s regional response. Officials say Tigard is bearing more than its fair share of responsibility as shelters fill and services remain stretched.
Surge in Camping and System Strain
At an Aug. 26 City Council meeting, Tigard leaders discussed updates to the city’s Time, Place, and Manner (TMP) ordinance, which regulates where and when unhoused people can camp.
The conversation comes amid sobering data: for every 15 people becoming newly homeless in Washington County, only 10 transition into housing, according to Tigard’s homelessness liaison Megan Cohen.
Also Read
At Tigard’s Public Works lawn, the number of nightly campers grew from a handful last winter to 30–40 this summer. Cohen linked the increase to strained system capacity. “Shelters are full, with long waitlists,” she said.
Currently, camping on the lawn is permitted from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m., while the city’s Safe Parking program provides designated vehicle spaces. Since its launch in 2024, six of 13 participating households have successfully moved into housing.
Council Considers Policy Changes
Council members discussed options ranging from banning camping on city property to modest adjustments in timing. The consensus favored maintaining Public Works as a designated camping site but moving the morning exit time earlier, from 9 a.m. to 7 a.m., to align with the opening of Just Compassion’s day services.
Cohen stressed that prevention funding cuts have worsened the problem. “With a 50 percent reduction across local, state, and federal sources, we have nothing preventing inflow into the system,” she said.
Frustration Over Shared Responsibility
Tigard officials expressed frustration that the countywide coordinated entry system directs individuals across cities without balancing resources. Council President Maureen Wolfe said Tigard has shouldered too much.
“We really have lifted hard and heavy to provide resources, and I’m ready to push back and say that we have done more than our share,” Wolfe said.
Councilor Yi-Kang Hu echoed that sentiment, calling for facilitated talks between Tigard, Tualatin, and Sherwood. “I think they should step up,” Hu said, noting Tigard contributes significant resources in affordable housing, policing, shelter space, and safe parking.
Tualatin and Sherwood Push Back
Leaders in Tualatin and Sherwood rejected the idea that Tigard is alone in shouldering the burden.
Tualatin Mayor Frank Bubenik pointed to recent efforts, including the opening of the city’s first affordable housing community in 2024 with 116 units for low-income residents. The city has also provided grants to local nonprofits and co-funds a regional mental health clinician.
“This is a complex issue, but Tualatin has been engaged and involved and is working to do our part,” Bubenik said.
Sherwood Mayor Tim Rosener emphasized that his city, though smaller, has invested in homelessness response and participates in regional funding efforts. Sherwood contributes to the Mental Health Response Team and donates to the Family Justice Center.
“These are shared challenges,” Rosener said. “Inter-jurisdictional cooperation, not competition, is the best way to solve them.”
Looking Ahead
Tigard, with 56,000 residents, is larger than Tualatin (28,000) and Sherwood (20,000), which leaders say partly explains differences in visible impacts. Still, Tigard officials insist the regional approach must be recalibrated to reflect fairness.
As Cohen put it, most unhoused people camping in Tigard are already in Washington County’s coordinated system. “The majority were on the shelter waiting list, which is quite extensive,” she noted.
For now, Tigard is weighing small but symbolic changes to its TMP ordinance while urging county leaders and neighboring cities to reexamine how responsibilities and resources are shared.
