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Mr. Clark asked for information on how the ordinance could be tweaked to make it more helpful <br />and provide the community with more tools to enable them to help their neighbors. <br />Ms. Ortiz asked how the council could encourage more organizations to sign up for the spaces <br />that were monitored by SVDP. She cautioned about relaxing the ordinance and creating <br />enforcement challenges for EPD. She suggested the Police Commission could be asked to <br />review the ordinance. <br />Mr. Weinman said the challenge was getting more spaces. Willing organizations could contact <br />him at 541 -682 -5533 or SVDP at 541 - 687- -5820. <br />Ms. Piercy stated the council's goals had been to get people into permanent housing through <br />affordable housing projects and other strategies, as well as preventing people from becoming <br />homeless. She asked if there was a role for the HRC to reach out to identify additional camping <br />sites. She noted Looking Glass was interested in acquiring a housing site on West Seventh <br />Avenue which needed upgrades to receive the necessary City permits. She asked if the City <br />could work collaboratively with local partners to assist Looking Glass. <br />Mr. Pryor appreciated the efforts to be evenhanded in addressing homeless camping issues. It <br />was helpful to recognize both a condition and a behavior were being addressed, and that <br />recognition would impact what action was taken. Most of the complaints he received were not <br />about the condition of homelessness but rather people's behavior. When the condition was <br />confused with the behavior, the brush became broad and painted many people unintentionally. <br />While it was important to be compassionate about a condition many people had no control over, <br />it was also important to be thoughtful and deliberate about unacceptable behaviors. Many of the <br />behaviors were being committed by people who did have homes. He agreed that finding homes <br />or shelter for people could be life- changing and was a goal for which the council should strive. <br />Mr. Zelenka stated the model the City was currently using worked better than it used to. SVDP <br />did great work. He commented that having 4,000 community members homeless Was too high. <br />Mr. Weinman, responding to a question, explained the national best practice model was to move <br />people from homelessness into permanent housing with supportive services, noting the shelter <br />system was the most expensive service with the worst outcomes for the amount of money spent. <br />He added the cost of subsidizing housing was beyond the capability of local and state <br />governments, and needed to come from the federal government. <br />Pearl Wolfe, Lane County HSC, responded to questions related to the one night homeless count. <br />She said of the 3,971 people counted, 1,411 were in some kind of a shelter and receiving some <br />type of services in the community. There Were more people getting some kind of rental <br />assistance for emergency shelter, and mortgage assistance for the prevention of homelessness <br />than in the past. Twenty -three sites were added to the count this year. A total of 92 <br />organizations and over 100 volunteers and staff conducted the count. She was deeply troubled <br />by the number of chronically homeless people in the community. Through the Egan Warming <br />Center and Project Homeless Connect, the depth of the problem had become more apparent. <br />MINUTES Eugene City Council February 24, 2010 Page 4 <br />Work Session <br />