ASHLAND — While acknowledging there is a local homeless problem that needs fixing, the City Council — including its more liberal incoming members — expressed near unanimous doubt that the potential liabilities and safety questions of a proposed permanent homeless camp could be overcome.

"I’d rather see a facility offering shelter, food and transitional housing, where the homeless people are working toward jobs and eventual home ownership," said incoming Councilman Russ Silbiger, noting that the council’s focus will continue to be on affordable housing.

The Ashland Housing Alliance, a group of homeless people and their supporters in social services, is proposing a permanent homeless camp on city land, based on Portland’s Dignity Village. The Ashland site would have small cottages for screened applicants who would be required to work in a community garden. Organizers say it would serve an estimated 450 homeless in Ashland and Talent.

The group made their proposal to a very receptive Ashland Housing Commission at a Wednesday meeting. But the commission only serves an advisory role to the City Council, whose members were cool to the idea Thursday.

Outgoing Mayor Alan DeBoer has purchased a former hardware building on Ashland Street for possible use as transitional housing for the Salvation Army in moving people into the work force, some of them by employing them in a proposed thrift store on the site.

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"A homeless camp is not my first choice," said Silbiger. "The DeBoer proposal resonates with the community and has a much better chance."

Outgoing Councilman Don Laws said the council, in facing a homeless camp, would have to have the right answers to some big questions, including where it would be, how it would be run to avoid creating more problems than it solves and whether there would be a "mecca effect," attracting homeless from all over.

Laws doubts that one solution — a camp — would resolve the myriad problems that create homelessness.

Councilwoman Cate Hartzell, who has considerable experience working on homeless issues, "absolutely" supports the camp concept — but the reality is another story.

"One of the major tasks would be communicating with town residents," said Hartzell. "It’s also hard to imagine city land being used. They (homeless) will have to be realistic, avoid confrontations and gradually build social and political capital, even though they’re frustrated that the city doesn’t have the compelling will to address the needs of those who have less and are sleeping in the cold and wet."

While the homeless issue will "very definitely" be the subject of a community discussion, said incoming Mayor John Morrison, "I don’t see it moving to the top of the agenda, when we are facing challenges like creating affordable housing so young families can live in Ashland."

Morrison also said the mecca effect concerns him, as do safety issues and the idea that the city might give out land without an extensive process to justify it. "It would be a long and arduous process and I’m not real optimistic about a possible outcome for this," he said.

Incoming Councilman Jack Hardesty said a camp poses "tremendous liability problems" for the city if anyone were to be injured on its property, adding that his main interest is in affordable housing. As for community opinion, Hardesty predicted "they’re not going to turn their backs, but at the same time, they’re not going to open their arms."

Homeless people in such a camp might make it self-sustaining by trading work for rent, possibly by doing park maintenance, he said, adding that the new council will likely be "more open to support this element."

Councilwoman Kate Jackson, the only council member also on the housing commission, said "It was a real eye opener for me, seeing they look just like us and want to take care of themselves but don’t want to be part of society in the way we are — with family, rent, house and jobs."

If a camp proposal reaches the council, she said, members would need to feel secure that all safety, health and financial questions were answered. As to whether Ashland could support it, she said, "It depends on how the proposal comes forward. I could see Ashland responding differently than other communities."

John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org