CC Minutes - 07/13/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

kinds of homeless people, including families, singles, people who were homeless by choice, and people who were homeless through unfortunate circumstances. He asked for as much information as possible from those who were most familiar with the issue. Mr. Pryor noted that outcomes versus output had been a major focus of the human services providers. He said there were many measurable things, such as meals delivered and roofs provided, and asked how to translate this output into an outcome. He was pleased with the direction the plan was headed. Ms. Jones indicated that the "education piece" was one of the first steps in the action plan. She sought to define some of the aspects ofhomelessness that Mr. Pryor and the councilors had raised. She indicated that part of the charge to the group gathered to work on this was to identify the population the City should target or whether the City should target all of them. She noted there were a number of myths about homelessness and part of the early work sought to dispel those myths. Ms. Ortiz appreciated the "quick work" from staff. She acknowledged her need to learn more and conveyed her support for the plan. She was uncertain that one population could be chosen over another. She stressed that all homeless people were human beings. She supported a broad-based approach, adding that it was important to remember that some of the homeless population had mental health issues. Ms. Bettman cited page 20 of the AlS, on which it was suggested that resources to abate homelessness could cost between $5 and $20 million and said she would not like to engage in a lengthy process that would result in a recommendation for a large expenditure that could not be sustained. She averred that much of the material was recycled from past work. She opined that the council would never be experts on the issue and should refer to the experts in the community and the programs already in existence that were effective. Ms. Bettman felt the council should prioritize the programs and then it should fund those deemed most important. She preferred utilizing the expertise and accomplishing something over engaging in a lengthy discussion. Ms. Bettman recommended a focus on homeless youth because she felt at that point intervention could break the cycle. She agreed that mental health issues were a contributing factor. She agreed that keeping people who were on the verge of becoming homeless in their homes was good prevention. She averred that the problem had been well-defined and the City did not have a wide universe of options because of limited resources. She felt continuation of funding for the Safe & Sound Program and for the beds at Station 7 should be a high priority. Mr. Pap6 expressed appreciation for the work staff had done on the AIS. He especially appreciated Attachment B: Chronological History of Home/ess EfJbrts and Actions. He encouraged every councilor to serve one term on the Housing Policy Board (HPB) as it provided a great education. He commented that one could not address homelessness only through housing as there was a strong mental health aspect to the issue. He thought a place to start would be to provide for a networking service that had one number that all people could call. Mayor Piercy solicited a second round of comments and questions. Mr. Kelly noted that local history featured a series of pilot programs that had experienced some degree of success but had not received ongoing funding. He wanted to avoid this. He stressed that the solution or initiatives resulting from this endeavor needed to become incorporated into ongoing City practices. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 13, 2005 Page 7 Work Session