Rochester Grants Pass Resistance

09/30/2026

🚨UPDATE: The vote is being held until October. This gives us as a community some time to push for transparency, accountability, and a real no-barrier sanctioned encampment.

Decarcerate, organize, and keep pushing for a Peace Village with no barriers!

09/22/2026

🚨TONIGHT: Rochester City Council is set to vote on Peace Village.

Rochester Grants Pass Resistance is calling on Council to hold this proposal in committee rather than rushing it through.

Peace Village was supposed to provide people experiencing homelessness with safety, stability, and autonomy. Instead, the current model includes a gated facility, 24/7 security, no visitors, restrictions on movement, and zero tolerance policies.

That is not the low barrier sanctioned encampment we were promised.

We are also deeply concerned that more than $1 million in opioid settlement funds is being directed towards this model of Peace Village. These dollars should support overdose prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other efforts that address the opioid crisis, not security and containment.
Before Council votes, the public deserves answers: a full accounting of opioid settlement spending, Peace Village’s complete rules and safety policies, meaningful involvement from people with lived experience of homelessness, and a serious review of the barriers being imposed on residents.

Council must keep this proposal in committee and take the time to get it right.

09/15/2026

Peace Village was supposed to be a low-barrier sanctioned encampment for unhoused Rochester residents to find safety without giving up their autonomy. Instead, the City is proposing a gated, highly regulated site with 24/7 armed security, no visitors, no walk-ins, and zero-tolerance policies. And they want to use millions in opioid settlement funds to make it happen.

We are asking Rochester City Council to hold the Peace Village funding vote in committee and give the community, especially people with lived experience of homelessness, a meaningful opportunity to shape this program before it moves forward.

Join us at Speak to Council and tell City Council: STOP. LISTEN. RETHINK THIS MODEL OF PEACE VILLAGE.

09/11/2026

RGPR has continuously supported the idea of a low-barrier sanctioned encampment. This is NOT what we have advocated for.

09/10/2026

09/05/2026

🏠 Want to help fight Rochester’s housing crisis? Use your voice.

Since November 2025, Citizen Action and housing advocates have been showing up at Monroe County Legislature meetings every month to demand real solutions to the housing crisis.

One solution we’re fighting for is the Add-on to the Shelter Allowance (ASA), a proposed $2 million pilot that would help income-qualified families cover the gap between the state’s outdated TANF shelter allowance and actual fair-market rent.

The state shelter allowance hasn’t changed in 36 years. For a family of four, it’s just $374. The ASA would add funding to help families stay housed rather than being pushed into homelessness or emergency shelter.

You can speak up at the next County Legislature meeting.
Call the County Clerk at 585-753-1950 before 1 PM on the Tuesday of the meeting and say you want to speak. Your topic can be “housing” or “ASA pilot.” You can speak with Citizen Action or as an independent resident.

You don’t need to be an expert. Share your experience, talk about the housing crisis, or explain why your community needs more housing support.

Show up. Speak out. Demand housing.

08/26/2026

08/22/2026

Kinda chic to think everyone deserves a safe place to sleep🏠✨

Encampment sweeps don’t end homelessness. They displace people. Housing, basic necessities, and dignity should be the priority🫶

Kinda chic to choose housing over displacement🏡