Housing & Homelessness

As health and government officials move to enact new recommendations and mandates each day to suppress the spread of COVID-19, the largest emergency shelter in Oregon is trying keep pace.

Washing your hands with soap and water has long been touted by health officials to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other diseases. For Lane County’s 2,000 plus unhoused population, that could be a problem. The county says they’re working on a solution.

More than $235,000 in federal money has been awarded to a Eugene non-profit. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, this will help support what’s called “high barrier” housing residents.

The city of Cottage Grove is one wall closer to completing "Legion Cottages," after a wall raising ceremony on Monday. The plan is to build four tiny houses to increase affordable housing options for homeless veterans in rural areas.

Across the nation last week, counties participated in an annual tally of people who are unhoused. KLCC’s Elizabeth Gabriel tagged along with a pair of volunteers in Eugene to see what it’s like to be a point-in-time counter.

The tiny home community, called Jeffrey Commons, was a project started by Sponsors. The Eugene nonprofit aims to reduce recidivism through affordable housing.

With homelessness reaching what one official calls “epidemic proportions,” the City of Eugene and Lane County have jointly come up with additional funding to keep two services operational. 

Housing Works is the affordable housing provider in Central Oregon. As KLCC’s Tiffany Eckert reports, the agency has announced the yearly wait list for Section 8 housing vouchers will open for five days next week.

Continued “lawlessness” by some transients in Eugene has hurt downtown businesses over the holiday season.

In May 2018, the Eugene city council amended land use code R1 to allow places of worship to build up to two housing units for low-income residents. Now, the Parkside transitional housing units are welcoming two single mothers and their children.

Homeless advocates are cheering the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear an appeal in a pivotal case out of Idaho.  KLCC’s Brian Bull got reaction from someone living on the streets of Eugene.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded over $38.9 million in Indian Housing Block (IHB) Grants to 52 tribes nationwide. HUD received almost 200 applications from eligible Native American Tribes and tribally-designated housing entities. Of the 12 tribes and villages awarded in the northwest, two Oregon tribes received funds to preserve and expand their affordable housing.

For low income residents with a disability, affording rent can be challenging. But Homes for Good recently received funds to help non-elderly disabled persons in Lane County.

This summer, we reported on an initiative where homeless people were hired to clean up after encampments in the downtown Eugene area. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, the service is back.

Ongoing vandalism and harassment against area shops and restaurants are straining relationships between businesses and the homeless community. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, a new group of business owners is imploring officials to confront an issue they say only keeps getting worse.