03/10/1982 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e e and crime are the flip side of blight, congestion, and business failure. The City's long-term brick and mortar programs need to be matched with attention to immediate human needs. Without addressinq the human solutions, the economic solutions will take longer and cost more with less satisfaction. He Quoted an article from US News and World Report, stating that there are an estimated 200,000 homeless adults roaming this country. The depressed timber industry has spawned a new category of vagrants in the Northwest. Hundreds of jobless workers are traveling to urban areas such as Portland in search of work. But, jobs are scarce everywhere, and there are now families living in cars. One of the local homes for displaced people will go out of business March 12th for lack of appropriate zoning. City codes and new State legislation have made it impossible for them to locate within the City limits. Eugene has two of the four blood banks located between Portland and San Francisco, and he has heard of people supporting alcohol and other drug habits by moneys received from the blood banks. Both of the blood banks in Eugene are located downtown. It is known that Eugene is an Ileasy town" for vagrants. The downtown problem is a brick and mortar problem as well as a human problem. The human side involves law enforcement, shelter services, information and referral, zoning, public transit, and money. There needs to be a system for handling these problems and a single set of solutions. Since the City Council is the only body in town that is capable of taking such a comprehensive view, he would suggest that they do so. He would also like to direct staff to come back with recommendations for dealing with these problems, perhaps including a City Council subcommittee, a staff task force, or a system of coordinating public, private, and community efforts. Ms. Smith stated that staff has worked on the blood bank problem, particularly in regard to the blood bank located at 10th and Willamette. No problems will be resolved today, but she shares the concerns and believes they should be addressed. Perhaps this could be done by existing community agencies or task forces, but some things are already underway and should be incorporated. She sees this as a priority. Ms. Schue added that everyone is aware of bits and pieces of this, but she is not sure how much the City can do on this complex problem. If resources can be better used and businesses protected, that should be done, but she does not know how that could occur. Staff should be able to make positive contributions. Ms. Miller noted agreement. She feels that consideration should be given to those who are already working on this problem. She would prefer that someone coordinate the efforts that are already working in this area, rather than starting a new community agency. This is a cyclical problem. Ms. Wooten stated that the council feels strongly about this, and a work plan should be prepared quickly and as inexpensively as possible. Mayor Keller agreed that there is an urgency to this problem, but it would be good to have a preliminary report from staff. Perhaps the existing agencies working on this issue could be identified. Mr. Gleason stated that staff will find out who is working on this, and they will do a summary and make some recommendations, bringing this back to the council for review and action. Mr. Lindberg noted appreciation for the response. He agrees there are a number of efforts under way, but coordination must occur. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 10, 1982 Page 2