Eugene, Lane County plan would bring homeless off streets

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Elected leaders for Eugene and Lane County are supporting an ambitious, expensive push aimed at lowering to zero the number of homeless people camping along local streets and in parks.

The Register-Guard reports that the series of 10 recommendations by Technical Assistance Collaborative, a Boston-based consultant, includes construction of a 75-bed low-barrier homeless shelter and hundreds of additional units of supportive housing.

It also calls for the expansion or improvement of existing programs spread across numerous public agencies and nonprofit providers to better help homeless people secure housing and keep them in it.

The Eugene City Council voted Tuesday to have City Manager Jon Ruiz work with Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky to develop a plan by May 1 to implement the consultant’s recommendations.

The plan would require a large infusion of public money, likely running into the tens of millions of dollars, that elected leaders would have to identify to pay for both construction and annual operating costs.