Medford City Council unanimously approved a $2.2 million grant Thursday night to build a new homeless campground by the end of the year.

The money, available from a state grant that must be spent by Jan. 10, 2024, will also buy 60 new enclosed units with heating and air conditioning, along with a restroom and shower facility.

Once the urban campground, known as Rogue Retreat Crossings, opens later this year, it should have about 120 campsites, many of which will be moved from the current location off Biddle Road to the new location at 842 W. McAndrews Road.

Councilor Nick Card worried about completing the project before the end of year, and about the city being tapped for additional money to complete the project.

“Can we build this with the dollar figure we’ve got under this grant?” he said.

Brian Sjothun, Medford city manager, said, “This will be done by the deadline. We will not ask for more money.”

A series of town halls held by city councilors in the city’s four wards indicated public concern about the effects of the new campground to the surrounding neighborhood.

The Crossings will be located some distance from the sidewalk, and one portion of it will abut a service yard fence owned by the city, Sjothun said.

In 2022, the council bought the property at 842-860 W. McAndrews for $1.5 million in preparation for a new homeless campground.

Kelly Madding, deputy city manager, said the state grant must be spent to buy enclosed units, noting the state doesn’t count tents as structures.

She said details of the project are still being worked out, but in addition to the enclosed units, there will likely be a common area and a food preparation facility, although the food prep might be completed at the Navigation Center on Biddle Road, which houses the Kelly Shelter, another homeless facility.

The urban campground will have at least two staff members available at all times, Madding said.

At the current campground on Biddle, people staying there typically use tents when they first enter to help get them stabilized. When they are ready, they eventually move into Pallet shelters or rigid tents and also receive case-management services.

Opened in 2020, the existing campground has been located on leased land while the city scouted for a permanent location.

Jackson County’s Continuum of Care organization received $8.8 million from a $200 million pot of money from the state designed to ease homelessness.

ACCESS, another local organization that helps low-income families, was designated as a local agent that is working with the city of Medford to establish the homeless campground.

The city will take on the responsibility to build the campground, turning the day-to-day operations over to Rogue Retreat, which currently houses about 450 homeless people each night at various facilities in Jackson County.

The Medford Police Department Livability Team, which patrols the downtown and the Bear Creek Greenway, will direct homeless people to the campground.

Other social service agencies visit the campground on a regular basis to provide wrap-around support services on-site such as alcohol and drug counseling, mental health services, housing services, job readiness and legal aid.