FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
The City of Pendleton recognizes that homelessness affects both unsheltered individuals and the broader community, and that these impacts can be frustrating, concerning, and complex.
In 2025, Pendleton City Council set homelessness/unhoused individuals as the top priority in the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. You can follow what action steps have been taken as part of the Strategic Plan Steps page on this website.
Homelessness is a very complex problem, and Pendleton is one of many cities in the country struggling to find successful ways of addressing the problem. Many of the homeless people on the streets struggle with issues related to addiction, mental illness, and histories of trauma. Our community has dedicated staff across different service organizations that work every day to solve problems for the homeless, and the City staff engage regularly with those organizations to work toward solutions. Additionally, the City’s emergency services increasingly respond to requests for assistance to help people in crisis.
It can be difficult to track specific numbers of unhoused individuals, and this is an issue City staff is aware of. Although it does not track numbers by city, Umatilla County is part of an annual "Point in Time Count" of people who are unsheltered every other year, as directed by Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the PIT count, unsheltered is defined as sleeping outdoors, in camps, on the street, in vehicles, or in abandoned buildings or sheds. The most recent count was done in January 2025, which revealed about 500 unhoused individuals in Umatilla, Morrow, Wheeler, and Gilliam counties. In those four counties, the Point in Time Count is coordinated by CAPECO. To learn more about the Point in Time Count, visit this website.
It is not illegal to be homeless, and the City cannot force someone to move due to constitutional protections and court rulings; however, Pendleton Police Department does have the authority to issue citations or arrest people who are engaged in criminal behavior. Prohibited or illegal behavior includes possession of an open container of alcohol or drinking in public, public urination or defecation, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. If you observe these or other illegal behaviors, please call the Pendleton Police non-emergency line at 541-276-4411. When you see criminal activity, please call 911.
The City of Pendleton does not have the training, capacity, or funding to operate a homeless shelter and instead works closely with organizations that provide services for homeless and unhoused individuals, as well as those in danger of homelessness, such as Neighbor 2 Neighbor and Salvation Army.
Homeless shelters operate in Hermiston and Walla Walla, and each of those shelters are operated by nonprofit organizations - Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless, Stepping Stone Alliance and Martha's House. The City of Pendleton is open to communicating with nonprofits interested in opening a homeless shelter in Pendleton.
The City of Pendleton has not been able to find any evidence of homeless individuals being bussed into Pendleton, although this rumor has circulated for a number of years. One difficulty the City of Pendleton has is with individuals from other communities who are released from the Umatilla County Public Jail and do not have transportation back to their home communities. The City of Pendleton is actively working on a plan to soon offer transportation assistance for those individuals.
Homelessness is not illegal, and the City of Pendleton cannot ban people from public spaces simply for being homeless. The City can, however, enforce rules for safety of our community, and anyone who commits a crime may be restricted from public spaces.
The City of Pendleton is committed to working with community partners and organizations to lessen the impacts of homelessness. A list of steps being taken can be found on the Strategic Plan Steps section of this website.
You can take a proactive stance on keeping trespassers off your property by posting signs and maintaining your property perimeter. If an illegal encampment appears on your property, you have the right to ask the individuals to leave or contact the Pendleton Police non-emergency number for assistance 541-276-4411.
The City appreciates public reporting of illegal camping. Please call Pendleton Police Department non-emergency number at 541-276-4411.
By providing an accurate location and description of the camp, you will assist the responding officers in locating and contacting the occupants of the camp. What happens to an identified camp depends on many factors. The responding officers will work closely with the many resources available to determine the best course of action to take regarding the removal of the camp.
Temporary camping is allowed by state law and under the City of Pendleton's Right to Rest ordinance. Visit this webpage for more information about that ordinance, including Right to Rest locations.