Eugene’s City Council voted unanimously Monday to extend its Safe Sleep sites through June 2025.
The decision comes as city staff said they already have the funding needed to maintain the sites until then.
The first of these shelters opened in 2021. They offer space to legally camp and park overnight, while connecting residents to social services.
The city reports that over a 12-month period ending last June, a quarter of those who left the sites moved into permanent housing. On Monday, councilors praised these results.
“Those numbers are really high, comparatively speaking to other communities, and also compared to the alternative, which is really nothing,” said Zelenka. We have very [few] services to get people into housing.”
Meanwhile, the city reports in the first six months of this fiscal year, only 13% of site residents returned to the street upon leaving. That’s less than half as often as in the year before.
Monday’s vote affects the sites of 410 Garfield, 310 Garfield, and Tom Campbell at Chase Commons. Two other locations in Eugene are protected under state law.
Councilor Mike Clark shared concerns about Eugene providing funding to the sites moving forward. City staff said they have one-time dollars from the state, but those will run out by the middle of next year.
