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Solutions <br />The current inventory of housing for homeless individuals in Lane County includes 870 units of <br />Rapid Re-Housing, transitional, and permanent housing, and 481 year round emergency shelter <br />beds. With all types combined, only about 10% are designed to accommodate households with <br />children. Based on the 2015 Point in Time Count, a minimum of at least 600 additional housing <br />units would have to be added to house all of the homeless individuals in the county. <br />Experience has proven that emergency shelters alone are not the optimal solution for helping <br />people escape homelessness. <br /> <br />At the same time, however, shelter capacity needs to be expanded if the supply of available <br />private market and affordable housing, coupled with supportive services, is insufficient to meet <br />demand. For some people, access to permanent housing is all they need to escape <br />homelessness. Others need supportive services to be successful in gaining permanent housing. <br /> <br />Housing First <br />Housing First is an approach to quickly and successfully connect individuals and families <br />experiencing homelessness to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry, <br />such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements. Housing First offers people <br />immediate access to permanent housing along with services appropriate to their needs. <br />According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, this model yields higher success in <br />treatment outcomes, higher housing retention rates, lower returns to homelessness, and <br />significant reductions in the use of crisis services, hospitals, and jails. <br /> <br />Human Rights and Alternatives <br /> <br />Human rights and alternative community strategies should be pursued in tandem with Housing <br />First and the other strategies in the PHB Strategic Plan. While these strategies are not <br />prioritized or incorporated into the strategic plan it is recognized the City of Eugene Human <br />Rights Commission and other community based non-profits and advocacy groups should <br />continue to pursue solutions that are inclusive of people living in poverty, people who are <br />homeless including minority communities and underrepresented groups. <br /> <br />Decriminalization of homelessness <br />Restorative Justice <br />Community Courts with alternative sentencing <br />Legal protections (fair housing) <br />Alternative legal places to live e.g. rest stops, micro-shelters, safe spots, unsanctioned <br />camps, legal overnight parking, small size tent encampments (10 per camp) <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Page 6 of 9 <br /> <br />