Prior to the pandemic, the kind of homeless shelters and overall shelter availability really depended on one's zip code. Some cities and towns had the resources to invest in homeless shelters, others did not.
But when the pandemic hit, the entire state needed to universally address the issue of shelter beds. And while money from the federal government became available and many shelter beds were created, the overall coordination of the statewide shelter system was a hodgepodge of management and resources.
On this edition of the show you’ll hear from Oregon Representative Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) who has introduced legislation to provide more state coordination and cooperation related to homeless shelters.
Indeed, the issue of homelessness is arguably the top challenge in our state, and the state feels that its high time it takes an even more active role.
