CC Minutes - 01/26/09 Work Session

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that information. He noted that the homeless individuals in downtown represented a very small percentage of the total homeless population. Regarding the committee’s recommendation to local governments to examine codes and policies that could contribute to the problem, Mr. Clark thought that the City kept housing unaffordable intentionally by the nature of its policies. Mr. Van Landingham felt there would be value in examining local policies and ordinances and choices between livability and affordability. He said the inability of families with children to afford housing in Eugene had a direct impact on schools, which relied on student enrollment levels for funding. Mr. Pryor supported the motion because of the public health concerns involved in waste management. He asked that a study of the issue include scope of the current problem with human waste, the degree to which providing bathrooms would address it and how those facilities would be guarded and maintained. He was interested in more details about the statistical data used to determine the percentage of homeless people indigenous to Lane County. Mr. Clark clarified that he meant the City maintained a shortage of land intentionally as a policy decision and that caused housing to be more expensive. He was in favor of a thorough examination of existing codes and policies to help determine why land and housing costs were so high and what could be done to change that. Ms. Ortiz commented, regarding the demographics of the homeless population, that who they were and where they came from did not matter to her. She said people went where they had an opportunity to make their lives better and regardless of where they were from they were human beings who deserved to be considered. Mr. Zelenka agreed that not enough was being done to address the problem and he would support the motion. He thanked the members of the committee for their work. He asked if the City Manager needed more direction from the council with respect to the scan. Mr. Ruiz said that he expected to consider many of the report’s recommendations within the context of the council’s goal setting and budget discussions. Ms. Taylor supported the need for bathrooms, especially in the downtown area. She said other communities had addressed the problem with self-cleaning restroom and ones that only accommodated one person. She felt that housing was unaffordable in part because of subsidies to companies that did not pay a living wage. She said there should be state-supported shelters for the homeless. Mr. Poling indicated he would support the motion as he was interested in obtaining information, particularly with regard to how other communities had dealt with the problem, including costs of installing and maintaining public bathrooms in certain locations. He said in his personal experience many homeless people came from outside the area, but with the current economic crisis it was likely that more members of the community would become homeless. He said if it was not possible to serve everyone, it was important to take care of local people first. Mr. Brown said he would support the motion. He noted that there were public restrooms downtown, but some closed around 6:00 p.m. and others were in locations, such as a parking garage, that people felt were unsafe. Mr. Clark said he had been convinced by the discussion and would support the motion. He asked that part of the research look at potential liabilities that might be involved if public bathrooms were provided. Ms. Taylor said there should be a focus on services to prevent homelessness and Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) should be involved because the high cost of utilities was often a factor. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. MINUTES—Eugene City Council January 26, 2009 Page 4 Work Session