Are The Homeless in Eugene Mistreated?
It’s no question that over the last decade, the homeless population has grown tremendously in the city of Eugene, Oregon. Having lived here most my life, the change has been an eye opening one. Having talked to a couple homeless people in my time here, many are left with zero options, and a want for a better life. Has Eugene been making the right decisions to take care of the homeless?
The city of Eugene has been trying to clean up the homeless issue for awhile now, but many believe their tactics to be flaud and inhumane. Homeless all over the city have been forced out of downtown areas, and even arrested for trespassing. Though there are limited options for these people, maybe the city is going about it the wrong way. Many believe the city of Eugene is making the right decision to boot them out, because citizens want a cleaner city. They believe a step in doing that is eliminating the population of homeless in the city, regardless of what it takes and where they go. Many homeless people are homeless not by choice, but by bad circumstances, while some are homeless due to bad decision making. The difference in the reasoning is huge, and could potentially make it harder for the city to make the right decision.
Portland has a similar issue, and is actually much bigger due to the size of the city. Though it’s a hard battle to fight, it can be done. Portland has already made steps to improving, providing more opportunities to get good people off the streets, and it’s time for Eugene to do so as well.
My Opinion
Having lived here for a long time, and having once been in an at risk of homelessness family, I think the city doesn’t do enough to support the ones who seek a better life. We focus too much on moving forward, instead of moving back first to be able to take a bigger step forward. Too much money has gone into building student housing and upgrading the city, instead of providing support for the ones who seek it. Ultimately, I understand that money will always be a seeking point for the government, but it can be done while staying humane and caring for the ones that are in less fortunate scenarios when they didn’t put themselves there. So many war veterans, and single moms struggle because of the hand they were dealt, not the hand they deserved. It isn’t an easy solution, and can take years to solve, but can be done with some hard work and passion to get hard working people jobs to support themselves and their families.
