A group of prominent Pendleton residents are trying to remove unhoused residents from the city’s downtown area by curbing social services.
Resident and Oregon state official Ryan DeGrofft sent a letter to the city in June as a representative of a group called Neighbors for a Better Pendleton. The letter, which was reviewed by city councilors at a meeting this week, was about how the city could use its zoning code to move homelessness to less visible areas.
DeGrofft referred to the city‘s unhoused residents as “homeless addicts” and connected them to property crimes, public drug use, vandalism and other nuisances. He recommended the city ban new social services in the downtown area to protect businesses and prevent further “deterioration.”
A view of South Main Street in downtown Pendleton, Ore. on Aug. 7, 2025.
Antonio Sierra / OPB
DeGrofft wrote that the group hoped that the move would lead to homeless residents moving elsewhere, without affecting the organizations already offering services in the downtown area.
“If these services are to be expanded in Pendleton, let them be provided in a part of town that tourists are less likely to frequent and locals who are shopping/dining on foot won’t have to deal with the negative impacts of the clientele,” he wrote.
DeGrofft serves as the regional development officer for Business Oregon, the state’s economic development department. He was elected to the Pendleton School Board last year and once served as chair of the city’s planning commission, which makes him familiar with the city’s land use laws. He’s also a co-owner of the Prodigal Son Brewery & Pub, a popular downtown restaurant.
DeGrofft declined to comment, writing in an email that he didn’t want to speak publicly until the group could present their proposal at a future city council meeting.
Neighbors for a Better Pendleton describes itself in an Aug. 6 press release as a grassroots group of “local business owners and concerned residents.” The press release states that the group has been meeting regularly for the past six months to come up with a series of proposals to address “homelessness-related challenges” in Pendleton.
The announcement did not say how many people are associated with the group. Members referenced in the release include Patrick Gregg, who serves on the school board with DeGrofft and works as an attorney, and Casey Hunt, a financial advisor and a member of the board of directors for Happy Canyon, the companion night show to the Pendleton Round-Up.
Whether it’s in Portland, Central Oregon, or Southwest Washington, communities across the Northwest have struggled to respond to a housing crisis that’s pushed more people toward the streets.
Related: How new Multnomah County data explains the region’s homelessness crisis
Eastern Oregon is not immune from these trends. A 2023 Pendleton report states that the city’s housing costs are high relative to income. A more recent report projected that Pendleton would need more than 500 new homes to keep up with future housing needs.
A January point-in-time count run by the Community Action Program of East Central Oregon, or CAPECO, documented around 500 people living without housing in Umatilla County and neighboring Morrow County.
CAPECO provides a number of social services, including some that intersect with homelessness, like running a food bank and an emergency shelter. The nonprofit moved to downtown Pendleton after buying a building in the area in late 2023.
CAPECO CEO Paula Hall said the property allowed the organization to consolidate many of its operations under one roof. She didn’t agree with Neighbors for a Better Pendleton’s proposed solution.
“It’s just not reasonable,” she said.
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Hall said she doesn’t condone the activities that the group complained about. For example, CAPECO has also struggled with people trying to camp on its property. She said it’s a misconception that offering social services attracts more people who are homeless to the community.
She said Pendleton organizations don’t hand out many “freebies” and some services have significant waiting lists.
She added that banning new social service organizations in the downtown area wouldn’t just affect homeless services, but could affect other kinds of services, like support for seniors and youths.
The Neighbors group press release states that the group intends to make a presentation to the Pendleton City Council at its Aug. 19 meeting. For her part, Hall said she also plans on contacting city officials to voice her concerns.
Two members of the Pendleton City Council did not respond to OPB’s requests for comment.
