Item B: Council Priority Issue - Homeless Strategy

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ATTACHMENT A Strategic Priority Issue #8 Develop a Strategy to Help the Homeless in Eugene Action Plan - REVISED The problem of homelessness is not isolated to Eugene; the City will need a great deal of assistance, especially from Lane County, the State of Oregon and the Federal Government. The following were goals and actions taken by the City’s staff team in order to make recommendations to the City Council: 1. Examine ways to more efficiently deliver service with existing resources based on the evaluation of City service delivery to homeless/at risk populations. 2. Assemble community stakeholders and form a “collaborative base” to identify the areas of most critical need. These stakeholders will include, but are not limited to, homeless/at-risk community members, City & County staff, the Eugene Human Rights Commission, Housing Policy Board, Human Services Commission, Commission on Children and Families, elected officials, past and present service providers, and business owners. 3. Engage homeless/at risk community members to listen to their views, determine their needs and to determine what enhancements they identify that would provide them with the greatest benefit. 4. Train City staff on issues relating to homeless/at risk community members. Provide more detailed training for City employees and work groups that are more likely to have frequent, daily interaction with homeless/at risk persons, which might include advising them about other appropriate service providers. 5. Prioritize the issues of most critical need and/or areas where the City and the “collaborative base” of partners can deliver the most effective assistance taking into account discretionary funding and the potential to re-deploy resources to higher priority areas. 6. Present the highest priority items to the Mayor and City Council, and request they direct the City Manager on which options should be implemented. 7. Assign appropriate City staff and other applicable resources to short- and long-term options approved by the Mayor and City Council. Progress to Date C. The following are examples of currently operational programs/actions that assist homeless/at risk community members which the City has participated in, supported or created. This list may not include programs run by the County and other organizations. 1967 City created special land use zone for the Eugene Mission to allow them to move to their current location on W. First Avenue. Current Status: Special land use zone is still in effect. th 1970 Family Shelter House opened with City assistance, on E. 11 Avenue, at the site that became the “Animal House.” The facility moved to its current location, 969 Hwy. 99 N, in 1977. Current Status: This facility is still in operation. 1990 Housing Policy Board (HPB) formed, by intergovernmental agreement, between Lane County, Eugene, Springfield, and HACSA. This public-private partnership prioritizes Page 2 of 4 11/21/2005