For Rejena Wenciker, the “Fishbowl” at Juniper Ridge offers a sense of relative safety.

It’s a little pocket of camps in part of Dirt World, the unofficial name for 1,500 acres of publicly owned juniper forest on Bend’s northeast edge known officially as Juniper Ridge.

The Fishbowl is exactly what it sounds like. One of the area’s informal roads dips down into the small bowl-shaped clearing, which is surrounded on three sides by rocky hillsides that offer a bit of seclusion. Around a half-dozen trailers and campers are arranged like a cul-de-sac, most with makeshift fences built around them to either keep dogs in or keep strangers out.

“It’s like living regular, but with a little more struggle,” said Wenciker, 44.

Wenciker’s been living here for about a year, and has been homeless since she got kicked out of a family member’s home in Myrtle Creek three years ago. Currently, she shares the trailer with her two daughters, ages 19 and 21, and her 2-year-old grandson.

Her grandson bounced on a small trampoline outside the family’s trailer as the Shepherd’s House outreach van delivered basic supplies to the family late last month. He’s been living there since Wenciker’s son got into a bad car accident and couldn’t take care of him. The toddler is a big part of the reason Wenciker hopes to get somewhere more stable.

“I’m hoping to be in a house, to have a job and do the normal life,” Wenciker said. “Because I want my grandkid out of here.”

When she first became homeless, Wenciker didn’t know how to survive. But when she reconnected with a friend who was also experiencing homelessness, she began figuring out how to make it without a stable place to live.

“I didn’t know anything about being homeless,” Wenciker said. “She helped me out.”

She spent some time homeless in Pendleton, but decided to come back to Bend because she’d lived here before.

She lived in an RV off Hunnell Road for two years, and told a Bulletin reporter in March 2021 about the difficulty of basic tasks while living outdoors.

It’s hard to say if Wenciker is in a better place than she was at that time, but she says she feels safe in the Fishbowl and hopeful for the future.

“I’m still standing here and I’m still smiling,” Wenciker said. “The only thing that got me through (a hard year) is knowing that my higher power has me.”

She’s hoping to get a job, but that’s been hard to accomplish since her car broke down earlier this year. She doesn’t want to get a job but not be able to show up for it reliably, she said. A bike donated by a local nonprofit and delivered by the outreach workers might make it a bit easier to get into town, she said.

The network of nonprofits in the area give her hope that she might be able to get somewhere more stable, Wenciker said. She’s on waitlists to get into housing through a few of them, and she says her primary goal is to get her children and grandchild into a safer place.

“This is not where I want my kids to live,” she said, gesturing to the dusty basin around her.

The juniper forest poses unique challenges, according to Colleen Thomas, Deschutes County’s homeless outreach supervisor. As with anyone living outside, people on Juniper Ridge are uniquely exposed to poor air quality and extreme temperatures, and the property’s location makes water much less accessible. An array of nonprofits collaborate on bringing water, trash bags and other supplies to those living there.

“One of the concerns I always have with Juniper Ridge is the terrain,” Thomas said “The dirt that’s out there, in the middle of summer when it’s hot and dusty, makes it really hard to maneuver any vehicle out there.”

For Wenciker, the kids are what keep her optimistic despite those challenges, she said.

“That’s what I want them to see, is that they can handle anything, because they know what mom’s been through and they can do it,” Wenciker said.

Who are the real people impacted by skyrocketing housing prices, decisions about homeless shelters or plans to sweep informal camps? The Bulletin wants to offer insight by telling their stories through the series Faces of Homelessness. Every two weeks this year, Bulletin reporters will introduce readers to a different homeless person. We are here to tell their stories.

For suggestions on how to help the region’s residents experiencing homelessness, contact the Homeless Leadership Coalition by email at info@cohomeless.org.