Astoria City Council charts new course on homeless response

Published 10:00 am Monday, March 9, 2026

On March 3, the Astoria City Council sat down with organizers of the Stepping Stones community in Seaside, including representatives of Clatsop Community Action, plus a City of Seaside staff member and councilor to learn more about designated campsites. The meeting is part of the council’s ongoing reevaluation of its homelessness response.

According to Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly, Astoria currently has about 34 campsites along the downtown streets. The sites are governed by a 2022 outdoor camping ordinance which, in previous meetings, councilors have said is ineffective and “not working.” When the ordinance was put in place, there were only 12 campsites.

In August 2025, Seaside opened Stepping Stones which serves as a designated campsite for homeless people to use in lieu of the streets. The site is run by Clatsop Community Action, with Kenny Hansen serving as the homeless outreach coordinator.

Hansen and Clatsop Community Action Executive Director Viviana Matthews were at the meeting to answer questions about the site.

According to Hansen, the site has space for 58 people factoring in its small adjacent overflow lot. Hansen said the site is currently at half capacity.

“It can change daily, like hotel occupancy,” he said.

Hansen said that since the program started last August, they’ve had 45 people exit the program. Many go into shelters or housing, with four who went to jail.

The camp also offers case management services, employment opportunities and a doctor from a local hospital for medical services.

“Some people are not ready to go to the Baker Building right off the street,” said Matthews, referring to the Clatsop Behavioural Health’s new affordable housing community.

Matthews said that some people need transitional steps like a camp to reaclimate to the stability which housing provides.

Safety was a concern for Astoria City Councilor Elisabeth Adams.

“We’re talking about people who might not be a good fit for an indoor setting for whatever reason,” she said.

Hansen said the rules are enforced using a tiered exiting system which campers agree to when they join the camp.

However, he admitted there are some circumstances that arise where local law enforcement have needed to step in.

“Seaside police are very quick to respond,” said Hansen. But, the incidents have proven to be one of the major challenges at the site.

“We’ve had a high turnover in staff,” Hansen said, “that’s been our biggest problem.”

Matthews said the camp is not perfect, and running the camp is in part a learning experience.

“I am able to go to sleep at night knowing we’re trying, doing the best we can to offer someplace for people to be.”

Astoria councilors also heard from Seaside City Manager Spencer Kyle.

“I think what we’re doing here in Seaside is working well for Seaside,” he said. He said it was not a magic solution for homelessness, but it was a big step in the right direction.

Kyle also brought up why Stepping Stones works when other attempts fell through.

“Everything in our camp is designed for personal accountability,” he said.

Going forward

In a previous work session, councilors decided to explore a designated campsite among other options. Wednesday’s work session helped flesh out the idea in a more concrete way.

However, councilors said they would not be making any changes to the current code anytime soon.

To advance the project, Astoria City Council is inviting members of the public to weigh in with their thoughts on the idea on March 16. According to Astoria City Manager Scott Spence, a campsite could be approved as soon as May, with the required code amendments being made by June.

Spence said that the timeline is still tentative and major changes to it are likely to be made.

“There’s a lot of touch points with the public that would modify this timeline.”