The unhoused population in the Eugene area has put the city first in the U.S. for homelessness, according to a new survey that used last year's federal data.
The website, Security.org, used the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s point in time homelessness count data for its report. It shows Oregon ranks fourth for homelessness, with Eugene as the top American city, after adjusting for population.
Jason Dedrick is the city’s policy analyst. He says he’s not surprised at the findings, and adds that the data actually reflects a county-wide, rather than city-wide, issue.
“The city however, does have a strong role with building affordable housing," Dedrick tells KLCC.
"We’ll be working with property managers of existing multi-unit, multi-family facilities to help folks that may have a federal voucher, provides for housing.
"The city is also going to be taking an active role in working on a 75-bed emergency shelter.”
Dedrick adds there’s no definite answer as to why Eugene has such a large homeless population.
Copyright 2019, KLCC.