The City of Eugene will open its first Safe Sleep site Oct. 4, at 310 Garfield St.

The location was one of the first two sites to be approved by the Eugene City Council in late July, and this “2nd and Garfield” site is the first to open to occupants after an intense couple of months of planning and site preparation.

The goal of Safe Sleep sites is to provide safe, legal places for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and connect to services as well as reduce the impacts of unsanctioned camping across the city. Sites will be managed by social service providers and provide a space for people experiencing homelessness to legally park their vehicles or sleep in tents. Since the US Ninth Circuit decided Martin v. Boise which held that cities cannot enforce anti-camping ordinances if they do not have enough homeless shelter beds available for their homeless population, the city is in a stronger position to defend its anti-camping ordinances.

The site at 310 Garfield will accommodate up to 55 vehicles used for shelter, along with additional vehicles used by those residents for transportation. The five-acre property is owned by Lane Transit District, which will lease the site to the City at no cost for the first two years.

“We’re excited to have this first site open, as it will help provide needed stability for the people who will stay here and also reduce the impacts of on-street camping in the community,” said Regan Watjus, a City policy analyst focused on homelessness. “We’re grateful to be partnering with St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, whose experience providing shelter and services for people who are unhoused will help ensure the site’s success.”

St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County will run the site, and the city will pay the annual operations cost of about $585,000. The City has also made investments to prepare the site, including grading, gravel, electrical, plumbing, fencing and structures to be used by residents and site staff. The site will have 24/7 staffing, and occupants have been contacted in advance by social service providers to prepare them for a successful stay.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

People staying at the two large temporary camps at 13th Avenue and Washington Jefferson Park will be prioritized to move into established Safe Sleep sites that accommodate tents or small structures. People living in vehicles in west Eugene will have the first opportunity to move into the safe parking sites.

Through the City’s partnership with Lane County, other actions are also underway, including coordinated outreach efforts, adding permanent supportive housing units, and expanding rapid rehousing programs. These efforts, when implemented together, are intended to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-10-11 09:47:12

Last Update: 2021-10-11 10:27:55