Rogue Retreat, a nonprofit that provides shelter for homeless individuals, has changed the name of its Medford Urban Campground on Biddle Road to “Rogue Retreat Crossings.”

Sam Engel, the organization’s executive director, said the new name better captures what the campground — which has gone by various names in its three-year existence — is all about.

“Rogue Retreat Crossings is a name that aligns with what the campground actually is,” Engel said in a news release. “Everyone at RRC is at a crossroads in their life. They can stay where they are or take steps to make lasting decisions to change their life.”

The rechristening comes as the organization prepares to relocate the campground — which includes two separate camps — to a larger, fixed location on West McAndrews Road near the Santo Community Center.

Rather than lease a property as it does now, Rogue Retreat will own the site, complete with permanent infrastructure, “which is a big difference for us,” Engel said in an interview.

The organization is still working through the site layout and development plan, so it is not yet known what the new square footage will be, Engel said.

“The overall site will be increased,” he said.

The move is expected to begin in June and end by late October, Engel said.

The temporary campground was part of the community’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. It represented a compromise between asking homeless people to shelter in place on the Bear Creek Greenway and exposing them to the dangers of sheltering indoors, where COVID-19 is more likely to be transmitted, Engel explained.

“The campground quickly demonstrated itself to serve an important niche in the community, an important role that wasn’t previously being filled,” he said, “and so it’s remained.”

Having permanent infrastructure, he said, will make for a campground that is “a lot easier and a lot friendlier to operate.”

For example, the current campground uses portable toilets, “which is no one’s favorite thing, and they’re not cheap,” Engel said. But the receptacles are an improvement over what existed before, he added.

The campground, offering regular meals and sturdy shelter, is meant to help people stabilize their lives long enough to begin working their way toward permanent housing.

Guests can access wraparound supports, from medical, mental health and drug treatment to job training, the nonprofit said in the release.

The campground can shelter up to 125 individuals. It is commonly mistaken for a regular campground where anyone can show up and recreate with their outdoor gear, the nonprofit said.

“Often people will stop by looking for a space to set up their tents, not knowing that it is a program to help residents find their way out of homelessness,” the agency said.

Engel said he is grateful to the city, county and community for working with Rogue Retreat through the ongoing experiment.

“We believe that this is going to put us in a better place to help serve more people and help improve more lives,” Engel said.