Bill Poehler, Salem Statesman Journal
April 1, 2026
Marion County’s commissioners shone a spotlight on investments for initiatives that help people who are homeless or in crisis during the annual State of the County address on May 31.
In their speeches at the Salem Convention Center, commissioners Colm Willis and Danielle Bethell advocated for the state and federal governments to give the county the tools to do more. They also touched on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plans to potentially draw down Detroit Lake.
Willis discussed concerns over unregulated homeless camps, especially those in Salem.
He pointed to an evaluation of a large homeless camp at Wallace Marine Park, which is in Polk County, and camps that have recently set up on Oregon Department of Transportation-owned rights of way in Salem.
He said people at those camps are given 10-day notices to vacate and ODOT doesn’t have the staff to clear the camps in a timely manner. He advocated for allowing law enforcement officers, regardless of jurisdiction, to issue notices to any unregulated camp.
“This is unacceptable. We need the state to join us in ending unregulated camping in our community,” Willis said. “Now that the City of Salem and Marion County are on the same page, we need the state to step up as well.”
Bethell pointed out that a 16-bed secure residential treatment facility that opened in 2025, Jory Behavioral Health in east Salem, provides treatment for individuals with severe mental illness.
She credited developer Bryce Petersen for sticking with the project despite obstacles from the federal government. His company is currently building another 16-bed facility next to the existing one.
“He has overcome some serious hurdles in the state,” Bethell said. “I hope the next facility you build allows you 32 beds instead of 16.”
Bethell pointed out that the county has five mobile teams designed to help people in crisis, up from one when she became a commissioner in 2021.
“We have a lot of trauma in our community,” she said. “We have a lot of work to do, still together. In the last six months of my life, I’ve lost a cousin to overdose and a community member to suicide. Everything that I talked about is data driven, but we’re missing things. I need all of your help to be the best public servant possible.”
Potential for trouble with Detroit Dam deep drawdown
Commissioner Kevin Cameron said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to do a deep drawdown at Detroit Dam is a topic he is asked about regularly.
When the deep drawdown happened on the South Santiam River in 2023, cities, including Sweet Home, had major problems filtering the water into a drinkable state.
The Corps’ original plan was to draw down Detroit Lake starting in 2026.
“Is the drawdown going to happen? Well, I don’t know,” Cameron said. “There’s still a chance that the drawdown may not happen. If it does happen, it’s going to happen in a different way.”
Salem is the largest city that gets the majority of its drinking water from the North Santiam River.
Cameron cited a letter sent by the City of Salem asking the Army Corps of Engineers to shut down the drawdown if the turbidity of the water from the North Santiam River makes it difficult to filter.
He said the water could be drawn down to 1,395 feet, or 55 feet below the normal low-winter level. Cameron worried that the dam may not refill.
“But what if we don’t have rain?” Cameron asked. “What happens next? Is there going to be enough water for agriculture, for drinking and for fish?”
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: State of Marion County event spotlights homelessness, crisis services
