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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.10.2018 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES Joint Meeting of the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners Harris Hall, 125 East 8�h Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 October 10, 2018 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yell, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor Commissioners Present: Jay Bozievich, Pat Farr, Pete Sorenson, Gary Williams Commissioners Absent: Sid Leiken Mayor Vinis and Commissioner Bozievich opened the October 10, 2018, Joint Meeting of the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners. 1. WORK SESSION: Public Shelter Feasibility Study and Homeless Service System Analysis Mid -Project Presentation by the Technical Assistance Collaborative Policy Systems Analyst Jason Dedrick gave context for the TAC project and presentation and introduced Gina Schaak, Elizabeth Stewart, and Douglas Tetrault, staff from the Technical Assistance Collaborative to give a mid -project presentation. Discussion • Appreciation expressed for the preliminary TAC report; have been working towards a low - barrier shelter recognizing that it is a critical piece currently missing in the community. • Question asked about the point -in -time count and why the numbers have fluctuated so much over the years. • Addressed the system modeling done by TAC; it shows that there is no silver bullet solution to address homelessness and more will need to be done than the addition of a shelter. • Acknowledged that the problem of homelessness has no jurisdictional boundaries; there is a city -county partnership involved in this structure. • The focus of recent work is on a system that responds to people who are in a state of homelessness; consider additional analysis on the differences and challenges of the people flowing through the system. • Question asked about other barriers to entry besides the lack of wet beds and what else might be stopping people from accepting services. • Coordination is very important to ensure people know who is providing what service and to avoid unnecessary duplication. • Question asked about prevention resources in Lane County right now and whether that information will be incorporated into the TAC report. • The community goal should be to do a better job of addressing the inhumane conditions homeless people face, with the ultimate goal of eliminating homelessness altogether. • Non-profit groups in our community are collapsing under the weight of the growing demand they are seeing as service providers; government needs to take on more responsibility. • More data is needed about how much the proposals are going to cost and where that money is going to come from. • Interest expressed in hearing about the human side of what the response needs to be in addition to cost, etc. MINUTES — Eugene City Council and Lane County October 10, 2018 Page 1 Board of Commissioners Joint Meeting • Questions asked about move -on units and coordinated entry. • Important to consider compliance barriers including pets, couples who want to stay together, and potential PTSD -triggering conditions when being housed around others. • Consider the gaps in the mental health services as work is done to address the homeless service system. • Acknowledge the need for buildable lands for housing and look into incentives for housing investments. • Question asked about using a cost effectiveness metric to help decide where spending makes the most sense. • This preliminary report feels fundamentally different; it has the focus, analysis, and coordination that will help facilitate real progress. • Question asked about whether any part of the study addressed the origin of homeless people in Eugene, what percentage are from here, and what percentage move here and then find themselves homeless. • Concern expressed about whether increasing the community's capacity to address the needs of the homeless will result in more people moving to the area for these services. • Appreciation expressed for the focus on geographic and demographic locations to make sure services are spread out equitably and appropriately. • Consider the inclusion of single -room occupancy units as part of the housing solution. • Question asked about why the report recommends a 50-75 bed shelter. The meeting adjourned at 1:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted, _5�� Elena Domingo Deputy City Recorder Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting: here. MINUTES — Eugene City Council and Lane County October 10, 2018 Page 2 Board of Commissioners Joint Meeting