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Mayor Piercy and the council recognized the work of Mr. Wisth and Chuck Crockett of the City <br />Manager's Office and extended thanks to the facilitators, Laurel Singer and Peter Harkema of Oregon <br />Consensus, and to task force members. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor thought creation of a commission was critical given the many issues that remained to be <br />worked through. He did not think the council could adopt the report without additional discussion. He <br />was particularly concerned about what the establishment of potential sites meant. Were such sites <br />transitional housing or were permanent encampments, and what was the City’s role? He wanted to <br />continue with the work and explore the solutions available to the council. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr agreed with Mr. Pryor. <br /> <br />Mr. Brown shared the history of Dignity Village in Portland, Oregon. He predicted that in the absence of <br />council action, such an encampment would spring up without City involvement. Speaking to the question <br />of a site, Mr. Brown reported that the Jefferson/Westside Neighbors Board of Directors had expressed <br />support for a homeless camp at the site of the former armory. He intended to poll the neighborhood for <br />its support. <br /> <br />Mr. Wisth offered to provide additional information about Dignity Village. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy believed each task force recommendation was substantial and needed to be further defined. <br />She asked task force members to comment. <br /> <br />Mr. Bryant said he frequently presided over the annual memorial for the homeless on December 21 and <br />typically more than 20 people who died on Eugene’s streets were memorialized. He believed the task <br />force’s recommendations would save lives. He emphasized that the task force was recommending that <br />people be provided with a legal, safe place to be; the form that took was unknown. <br /> <br />Ms. Syrett encouraged the council to move forward on the recommendations related to the review of local <br />laws and ordinances and improved health care access while it considered the formation of a homeless <br />commission. <br /> <br />Mr. Mandelblatt encouraged that more restrooms downtown, such as those at City Hall, be better signed. <br /> <br />Mr. Carrigan emphasized the unique opportunity represented by the recommendations and called for new <br />and innovative solutions to build on the work performed by local social service providers. He also <br />emphasized that the task force identified housing as a basic human right as recognized by the Universal <br />Declaration of Human Rights. He briefly noted the local effort to establish a homeless camp based on the <br />Dignity Village model. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka expressed support for the task force’s recommendations. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz asked about the status of the zone change that would allow for additional beds at the Eugene <br />Mission. <br /> <br />Mr. Clark acknowledged he did not support establishment of a permanent homeless camp; he found no <br />dignity in such a concept or in permanent homelessness. While he agreed the streets were a dangerous <br />place, he questioned whether the creation of a homeless encampment created more potential for unsafe <br />behaviors by bringing many people dealing with many different issues together. He asked what the City <br />knew and did not know about such encampments. He wanted to ensure the City was creating safe <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 11, 2012 Page 2 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />