Grants Pass is at a crossroads in its handling of homelessness funding after months of deliberation, contested proposals, and a growing debate over transparency. On Wednesday, September 3, the Council officially scrapped the original grant solicitation process and approved a revised grant proposal process. Now the RFP process starts nearly from scratch again, meaning yet another delay in implementing a managed homeless site solution.
The grant program, first issued on June 19, 2025, sought proposals for a new shelter model to replace the city’s downtown resting sites. Four applicants came forward. Tender Technologies was ruled nonresponsive; Pathways was disqualified for failing to meet a 150-bed requirement within six months; and GeoDomestic withdrew after problems were identified in its plan. That left Elk Island Trading Group (EITG) as the sole proposer to meet the city’s criteria. EITG’s bid called for 150 ADA-accessible beds, 24-hour management, low-barrier access, full ADA compliance, and a six-month timeline at a cost of just over $1.1 million.
Despite EITG’s standing, the Council began weighing cancellation of the process. At a September 2 workshop, members discussed scrapping the solicitation altogether and starting over under new rules. That decision triggered immediate pushback. EITG, through its representative Bernie Woodard, stated Wednesday night that it will file a formal protest citing Oregon law. Under ORS 279B.100, solicitations may be canceled only under narrow circumstances—such as a lack of qualifying proposals, loss of funding, or material errors. Woodard argues that none of those conditions apply, making a cancellation unlawful.
The protest also points to the city’s own grant documents, which promised a seven-day protest period after an award decision. Canceling, rather than awarding, effectively cut off EITG’s ability to challenge the process through those built-in procedures. Critics say this undermines process integrity and creates the appearance of shifting rules after bids have already been opened and made public.
From a policy standpoint, restarting the process has both practical and political consequences. On a practical level, reissuing the solicitation will delay the launch of new shelter services, leaving the downtown resting sites in place longer than anticipated. On a political level, it raises questions of accountability and fairness, as other applicants now know the pricing and weaknesses of the original bids.
The September 3 Council agenda reflected this tension. One resolution, originally drafted to authorize a contract with GeoDomestic, was removed. In its place, based on a workshop discussion the previous day, the agenda called for adopting a revised Addressing Homelessness Grant Program—a reset of the entire process.
What happens next depends on how the City weighs the legal protest against its desire to revise the program. It could rescind the cancellation and award the grant to EITG, defend the cancellation under Oregon law, or pause any new solicitation until the dispute is resolved. If the protest is denied, EITG has indicated it may seek judicial review in Josephine County Circuit Court. Based on comments by the City Attorney Wednesday night, the City feels it is on firm legal ground in canceling the previous proposal process.
For residents, the issue extends beyond procedural wrangling. Nearly $1.2 million in funding remains in limbo while the city faces mounting pressure to address homelessness with urgency, clarity, and a process the public can trust.
Several local residents continue to use public comment time at City Council meetings to express their frustration with the state and impact of the current resting sites on 6th and 7th streets near City Hall and the Police Station. Under the new RFP timeline, the winning proposer has until May 2026 to launch a managed homeless site, meaning these frustrations likely will not be addressed anytime soon.