CC Minutes - 12/12/11 Work Session

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staff, and the general public, and 3) work collaboratively with Occupy Eugene to find new ways to address homelessness in the community. He thought the Occupy movement had raised interesting possibilities for addressing the problem of homelessness. He believed that one of the positive aspects of the movement was the respect and dignity it demonstrated for the community's homeless, which he thought worth emulating. City Manager Ruiz suggested the council engage Occupy Eugene and the community at large to explore the lessons of Occupy Eugene. He recommended the council form a community task force to work over the next few months to identify strategies to address the needs of the homeless. He acknowledged that health and safety were still concerns for the current encampment and he was also concerned about the potential of injury or illness at the site. City Manager Ruiz reviewed the four options for proceeding he had e- mailed to the council the previous weekend. City Manager Ruiz recommended that the council not extend the exemption to Section 4.815 of the Eugene Code and that it provide transition services to the homeless until the completion of the task force's work. Those services could include expansion of the City's car camping program to include tents. He said regardless of the council's decision, the City would continue to work with Occupy Eugene. Mayor Piercy solicited council comments and questions. Mr. Zelenka complimented City staff and representatives of Occupy Eugene for their mutual cooperation. He shared Chief Kerns' concerns about health and safety. He offered the following modification to City Manager Ruiz's recommendation for consideration at the regular meeting held later in the evening: Modified Option 3 Summary: extend the camping exemption and provide transition services until the completion of the task force's work. 1) Mayor would immediately form a community task force to report back to the council within 90 days to identify strategies on homeless ness for council consideration. The taskforce could include council members, Occupy Eugene representatives, nonprofit agency representatives, and other community members. 2) Hire St. Vincent de Paul to lead an effort to mobilize and coordinate transitional human services for homeless campers, and consult with OE about the security and management of the Occupy Eugene camp. These transition human services will not replicate the Occupy Eugene camp experience; however, they could provide opportunities for Occupy Eugene homeless campers to continue to receive basic services, such as: a legal place to camp /stay (see 3c and 3d below), food, clothing, and medical services; while the task force develops recommendations for a more sustainable and effective provision of services. 3) Temporarily increase the funding for the car camping program, and expand the programs scope to include legal tent camping on sites when appropriate. Currently, three vehicles are allowed under certain conditions in parking lots of religious institutions, business or public entities. 4) Create a short -term site, like an Egan warming center, for the rest of the winter specifically for chronic homeless with behavioral and addiction issues; essentially, a secure temporary wet housing pilot program. The facility would be open seven days per week, but with hours MINUTES— Eugene City Council December 12, 2011 Page 2 Work Session