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Home My WebLink About181217 SMTGMINUTES – Eugene City Council December 17, 2018 Page 1 Special Meeting M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Special Meeting Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 December 17, 2018 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor, Greg Evans 1.DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Day and Night Support Services for 525 Highway 99Assistant City Manager Kristie Hammitt introduced the item and presented a proposal for dayand night homeless services on Highway 99.Council Discussion •Disappointed in the management of the current site; management by St. Vincent DePaul willimprove oversight. •Concerned that those who are not eligible to reside in camp managed by St. Vincent DePaulwill return to the downtown area and cause problems. •May be prudent to see what Lane County does with the site first; adding 80 more campers isconcerning. •The proposed motions are a needed next step in the development of homeless shelteroptions; important to remember that these sites should be viewed as temporary for theresidents, not as temporary facilities. •Concern expressed about families with children at the current Camp 99 site. •All current efforts are unchartered territory; governments and service providers are servingmore people than ever. •Ultimate goal is to get those who are experiencing homelessness into stable housing. •The original rest stop model has transitioned into mini Opportunity Villages; improvementsto the system are ongoing and responsive to conditions and needs. •Health, safety and management of the site are critical; the proposal is the right response forthe current situation. •Questions asked about the plan to ensure safety and security at the site, both for residentsand neighboring community. •The current system is not sustainable; effort and resources should be directed toestablishing a low-barrier shelter. •The County and St. Vincent DePaul are exploring options for increased services, includingmobile medical service. •Most campers are eligible for Affordable Care Act coverage; encourage City and County tolook at grants and other funding sources. •Questions asked about what the enforcement response will be if people refuse to leave theCamp 99 site. •Questions asked about whether individual tents will be permitted at the new site, what isbeing done to help those with special needs and how the safety of campers will be ensured. •Concern expressed about spending resources on those who won’t comply with transitionplans or agree to be governed or managed; establishing camps creates the illusion ofaddressing the issue. •There will be a joint meeting with Lane County on January 22 to discuss the creation of apermanent public shelter; the current emergency camps will help inform planning efforts. • A permanent shelter, single-room occupancy facilities and indoor gatheri ng places sho uld be considered for downtown. • The joint meeti ng w ill allow a look at best practices, mutua l ag r eements and longer-term strategies and plans. • Need to e ns u re p roactivity with safety a nd sec urity at the current s ite u ntil the transition can tal<e place; clarify unacceptable behaviors and reasonable exceptions. • Frustr ated by rejection of proposed new sites by ne ighbors; moving forward w ith a low- barrier shelter will be extremely challenging. • An in-depth discussion of the goals a nd intentions of temporary shelte r options is needed. • Those in camp want to demonstra t e the ir ability to sel f-m anage. • I mpo r ta nt to not lose s ight of the council 's co mmitment to establish downtown facilit ies. • Questions asked abo u t in creasing the capacity of car campi ng s ites. MOTION AND VOTE: Co un c il or Ze lenka, seconded by Councilor Se m ple, moved to exte nd th e meeti ng by 10 minutes. PASSED 7:1, Councilor Taylor opposed. • Important to clarify how City will address those who won't move or come back to camp illegally at the Butterfly lot. • P roposed shelters wi ll not solve the issue o f homelessness -it's a transitional strategy. • Gratitude expressed to St. Vincent De Paul for the ir effo r ts and w illi ngness to help. • Qu estions asked about how the mon ey allocated to St. Vincent De Pa ul is being spent and who is liable at the proposed camps. MOTION AND VOTE: Cou n cilor Zelenka, seconded by Counc il o r Evans, moved to extend the meet ing by 10 minutes. PASSED 7:1, Councilor Taylo r op posed. MOTION AND VOTE: Cou n ci lor Clark, secon ded b y Councilor Taylor , moved to expand by 80 spaces the current Du sk-to-Dawn p r ogra m located at 717 Highway 99. PASSED 7:1, Counci lor Cla rk opposed. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Cl ark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to pi lot the provision of daytime services for the add itiona l 80 spaces, so that the addition of the 80 spaces effectively functions as a "d awn-to-dawn" pilot program. PASSED 7:1 , Counci lor Clark opposed. MOTION AND VOTE : Co u ncilor Clark, seconded by Coun cilo r Taylo r, moved to a uthori ze St. Vin cent De Pau l to pil ot a "m icro dawn-to-dawn" type program at 450 Highway 99 or 717 Highway 99. PASSED 7:1, Councilor Clark opposed. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilo r Clark, second ed by Coun c il o r Taylo r, moved to authorize the expe nditure ofup to $150,000 for the pilot p rograms. PASSED 7:1 , Councilor Clark opposed. The meeting adjou rned at 7:21 p.m. l~ctfe'itted, Beth Forrest City Recor der Link to the webcast of this City Council m eeting: he r e MINUTES -Euge ne City Co un cil Special Meeti ng Dece mber 17, 20 I 8 Page 2