February 18, 2025 Public Hearing – Item 4 <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />Public Hearing: An Ordinance Extending The Sunset Date Of Ordinance No. 20701 (Temporary Establishment Of “Safe Parking” And “Safe Tent” Sites That Are Larger Than Allowed Under Section 4.816 Of The Eugene Code, 1971) Meeting Date: February 18, 2025 Agenda Item Number: 4 Department: Planning & Development Staff Contact: Regan Watjus <br />www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5371 <br />ISSUE STATEMENT The purpose of this public hearing is to provide City Council with public input on whether to amend Ordinance No. 20701 (temporary establishment of “safe parking” and “safe tent” sites that are larger than allowed under section 4.816 of the Eugene Code, 1971); and extend its sunset date, through June 30, 2026. (See Attachment A for the proposed ordinance.) <br />BACKGROUND Lane County's annual Point In Time count in 2024 reported 4,295 people were unsheltered, in emergency shelter, or in transitional housing. On average in Eugene, 3,400 community members are experiencing homelessness in a city of some 178,000 people. After several years of dedicated work by City staff and local service providers to add hundreds of shelter spaces, the total available is around 1,050 shelter spaces leaving nearly 2,400 people unsheltered each night in Eugene. On April 12, 2021, staff provided Council with an action plan for Unhoused Response. The plan included creating a centralized response for critical tasks including the management of temporary urban camps, coordinating staff response to unsanctioned encampments/prohibited structures, reducing impacts to neighborhoods and businesses, expanding outreach to unhoused people, and developing some 200 “Safe Parking” and 300 “Safe Tent” sites. Between July 2021 and March 2023, staff worked with social service partners to deploy 186 shelter beds and an additional 55 vehicle camping spots across five locations. Opening these sites absorbed the City’s one-time funds for new shelter of this type. Remaining one-time resources were preserved to extend the operational viability of these sites, over developing additional sites. This ordinance has enabled shelter and stability to community members experiencing homelessness since 2021. Three City-supported shelters currently operate under Ordinance No. 20701. (Two other sites that were originally approved by Council now operate under the emergency shelter super-siting (Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 197.782) and are no longer dependent on Ordinance No. 20701 for their continued operation authority.) Council approval to extend the sunset date in the ordinance is needed for the City to be able to extend operations of the three City-supported shelters that operate under this Ordinance should funding be secured for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). See Attachment B for a summary of the sites and outcomes to date. <br />CC Agenda Page 63