When sheriff’s deputies evicted Tessy Moon from her Redmond home, she told her children they were going camping.

At first, it seemed like fun, but two and a half years later, it’s anything but that.

Being houseless has taken more imagination and hard work than Moon could have ever imagined.

Getting drinking water and propane for electricity and heat to the camp site requires a half mile or more walk and a plan on how to carry the heavy tanks across unstable terrain.

She used area rocks and found wire fence material to carve a playground out of sagebrush and hard-packed dirt for her kids to play and ride their bikes.

Throughout it all, Moon has remained hopeful that one day soon her family won’t be crammed into a fifth-wheel RV in the sagebrush of a remote area of Redmond.

“We try every day,” said Moon, a 36-year-old mother of four. “It’s hard to stay clean when you’re homeless.”

Their family van, which doesn’t have a current registration, runs, but only when there’s extra money for gas, Moon said. So most days, she and her family walk or use the one bicycle they own. Just a week ago, she was on her bicycle in Redmond when she was hit by a motorist. Moon suffered just a few scrapes and bruises and the bicycle is rideable.

They walk a half-mile — three times a day — to get the children to three different school bus stops.

Their RV home is outfitted with a scrap wood entry attached to keep the cold out. A black mailbox symbolizes home wedged into the rungs of a ladder at the entrance. A bouquet of fake flowers greets visitors.

“It’s pretty small in there,” Moon said, pointing to the dark interior of the RV. “It’s a tight squeeze for us. But luckily, someone gave it to us. Some people here (in Central Oregon) have had it hard.”

It’s not the life she imagined for her children. It’s not the life she imagined for herself, growing up in Tumalo.

There have been times when she’s had to humble herself for diapers or food. She’s stood on street corners or in parking lots with a cardboard sign asking for help. One time, a woman yelled at her to get a job. Another time, a woman handed her $200 to buy Christmas presents.

Moon does what she can to make the site homey. On Easter, she hid plastic eggs filled with candy for the children. And sometimes the children spend the weekend with her mother, who lives in Central Oregon.

“Anyone can become homeless,” Moon said. “Don’t judge me.”

The path to homelessness for Moon was paved with nearly three years of domestic violence that finally ended in divorce. Finalized in May, the court awarded Moon possession of a mobile home in Redmond. That was after more than 30 court hearings, all occurring in the middle of the pandemic.

Her divorce took a long time because there were criminal charges against her husband for the domestic violence. Her ex-husband is now serving a jail sentence.

The mobile home that the couple bought several years ago, has been sitting vacant since November 2019 when the court prohibited the family from living in the home on NW 35th Street in Redmond until the health violation caused by the leaking septic system is fixed, according to court records.

Raw sewage was seeping on the ground and into a neighbor’s property, according to court records. The court also posted a lien against the home because of back taxes owed.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Moon paid the $2,000 in back taxes, she said. One hurdle down. Another to go.

The repairs could cost as much as $20,000, she said.

“I couldn’t do anything,” Moon said. “That’s how we ended up here. My kids are so good with this. It’s been amazing.”

So now she hopes the county or NeighborImpact will help her with the repairs on the leaky septic tank and then provide proof so the family can move in. But there’s a process and an application.

If she can pull together the resources and fix the septic system, they could move back to the mobile home park before the next school year. The kids could go to the same schools they go to now and never have to camp again.

“We’re getting closer,” Moon said. “I’m hoping we can get in our home soon.”