HomeMy WebLinkAbout220223 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Virtual Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
February 23, 2022
12:00p.m.
Councilors Present: Claire Syrett, Matt Keating, Jennifer Yeh, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Randy
Groves, Greg Evans, Mike Clark
Mayor Vinis opened the February 23, 2022, work session of the Eugene City Council in virtual format.
1. WORK SESSION -Unhoused Response Update
Assistant City Manager Kristie Hammitt, Homeless Systems Policy Manager Peter Chavannes and Public
Works Director Matt Rodrigues provided an update on Unhoused Response actions related to the
establishment of Safe Sleep sites to address the growing number of unhoused community members and
related community-wide impacts. Staff also provided an update on temporary urban camps and vehicle
camping response. Staff reviewed the financial aspects including the one-time funding, on-going
funding and the funding expiration dates.
Council Discussion:
• Mayor Vinis -thanked staff for the review of their efforts; stated it is a good foundation for
determining next steps.
• Councilor Groves -thanked staff for the reminder of their accomplishments and overview of
ongoing work; asked staff to state specifically the goals of safe sleep sites and to clarify if it
stops with getting people off the streets or goes beyond that; stated he is very supportive of the
concepts in practice at Everyone Village and is continually impressed by their efforts to do more
than just warehousing people; asked how efforts compare to those at the 310 and 410 Garfield
sites; asked if there are documented outcomes and metrics used for assessment; noted the
signage placed in West Eugene by parking enforcement has been effective and asked if there are
plans to expand its use into others areas experiencing a disproportionate number of issues,
such as wards 1 and 7; emphasized the need for an ongoing response to illegal street parking
and managing of community expectations; expressed appreciation for neighbors, businesses
and workers dealing with these issues who tend to lead with an element of compassion, but
understands they still have realistic expectations for follow-up on behavioral challenges.
• Councilor Syrett -thanked staff for the exhaustive update of the incredible work being done;
said she is pleased about the opening of the 410 Garfield site and is very supportive of safe
sleep sites in general; stated she does not hope such sites will be needed forever, but for now
they continue to provide safe, stable shelter; stated her concerns around those who
preemptively left Washington Jefferson Park having already moved to adjacent strips ofland
and are not expected to relocate to safe sleep sites; stated staff have acknowledged limitations
for responding to calls for service; expressed hope that the Navigation Center will assist those
in shelters find stable housing; asked in what City department neighborhood service officers
will be located.
• Councilor Clark -stated his continued belief that a great majority of homelessness is driven by
drug abuse; asked about Oregon Ballot Measure 110 and progress to-date on the receipt of
addiction recovery resources; asked if the Intergovernmental Relations Committee has any
work in progress to hold the state to its responsibility in this matter; asked about the wellness
continuum for the unhoused and if there is a scoring process for those traveling along it; asked
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if it is known what percentage of the unhoused population chooses to not engage with services;
asked if there is a requirement for those in emergency shelters to participate in the wellness
continuum; asked if those staying at low-barrier emergency shelters are required to not be
using drugs; stated there are some who will not seek shelter resources in the first place due to
their desire to continue drug use.
■ Councilor Zelenka -thanked staff for the good work; noted the accomplishment of increasing
the number of available safe sleep sites and suite of services; asked staff to clarify what is meant
by "request for service"; asked to review funding and cost information and if the $2.4 million of
ongoing funding is assumed; stated this information underscores the importance of a work
session to discuss dedicated funding for homelessness services and climate change; asked staff
to elaborate on the issues at Chase Commons site.
■ Councilor Semple -thanked staff for the numerous of hours of work; expressed appreciation for
the depth and breadth of this update; stated this issue is at the top of everyone's mind in the
city; stated it is a nearly insurmountable task, yet a lot of people are being helped by these
costly efforts; stated this problem is so enormous and people should realize it is affecting
everything else the City does, including other services; expressed support for rest stop sites as
an affordable way of helping people; stated shower trucks and laundry services are needed and
useful; stated concerns about one-time funding and where it will come from on a recurring
basis; noted that a lot of money has come from the Community Safety Initiative, and not just in
the form of police coverage; stated her concern about people disbursing back into the
community and the need for more shelters spread throughout the city.
• Councilor Yeh -thanked staff for the report and said it is astounding how much work is
happening between staff and service providers; stated she is also anxious about $8.2 million of
one-time funds, as they are not something the community will be able to provide; asked for an
approximate time frame of when the one-time funding will be depleted; stated that dealing with
addiction is a serious concern and requires good solutions to stabilize those experiencing it
alongside homelessness.
■ Councilor Evans -thanked staff for the comprehensive presentation; asked about coordination
efforts with governmental partners and what the long-term outlook is for providing support
and services with help from the state and federal level; stated he was hoping for a more
proactive response at the federal level on long-term funding for emergency shelters and
affordable housing, including maintenance; noted the history of putting people in housing
projects that had no ongoing funds for maintenance, which ultimately must be demolished and
leads to its formers tenants seeking alternate forms of shelter; asked if there are any plans to
meet with leadership from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
■ Councilor Groves -stated this problem is bigger than Eugene and it extends to the regional,
state and federal levels; asked if there are currently any methods in place to measure the
performance of nonprofit providers; stated that housing people in large recreational vehicles
and trailers is inefficient given their large footprint; asked if there are ways to incentivize
people out of these larger vehicles, particularly for the many whose vehicles appear
uninhabitable; expressed hope that the Mayor will be given an opportunity to update Council on
her work with Mayor Wheeler in Portland.
■ Councilor Clark -stated he believes staff are doing a phenomenal job with a herculean effort to
successfully implement policy; noted it is Council's job to decide on a policy approach which
staff then implements; stated he only wants to highlight failures in policy; stated the general
public expects the City to have a plan for ramping down expenditures and demand for
emergency shelters; noted one of the biggest failures is that people receiving homelessness
services are not required to seek wellness; stated his concern for the lack of accountability for
those receiving services.
■ Councilor Keating -thanked staff for the presentation; asked if there has been a conversation
around deploying physical and/ or online resources where people most in need can access
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information on specific site locations and hours of availability; noted the difficulty and
confusion that can be caused by each site having a different name/naming format.
Councilor Zelenka -noted figures showing very low investments and resources for substance
abuse and mental health services in Oregon; stated homelessness is often a symptom of mental
health and substance abuse problems; asked about metrics to help ensure funding is spent in an
effective and efficient way; noted that current services require approximately $5 million of
ongoing funding that is not currently available, which underscores the need for comprehensive
and diverse funding approaches.
Mayor Vinis -noted the City's short-term legislative priorities do not directly address substance
abuse and mental health services but agreed it needs to be a top priority.
Councilor Evans -noted the Intergovernmental Relations Committee is not focused on access to
substance abuse and mental services in this short session of the state legislature but should
consider their approach to it during the long session in 2023 and how to move forward with
municipal partners; stated something beyond money and resources are needed, including a
strategic approach to address lack of services and affordable housing.
Councilor Syrett -noted her role as Intergovernmental Relations Committee Chair, and if
members of Council want them to lobby on funding for substance abuse and mental health
services, Council will need to take an explicit position on it, which they have yet to do.
Mayor Vinis -thanked all for their discussion and work; referred to her earlier comments
noting this work allows the City to begin answering questions; recognized the opening of the
75-bed Navigation Center will bring greater clarity to how people move along the continuum of
services; stated as one-time funding runs out there will need to be structured asks from
legislative bodies, the conversations for which are in the early stages of being orchestrated.
Mayor Vinis adjourned the meeting at 1:44 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
~
Brooke Freed
City Recorder AIC
(Recorded by jay Ferris)
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.
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Work Session
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