“Invisible But Still Here” (Dec. 13) touches on an aspect of homelessness outside of the “literal homeless” definition from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Lane County’s Community Action Agency and Continuum of Care has responded to continually help quantify and convey the need for housing investment in our community.
On Jan. 31, for the first time, volunteers across Lane County will be conducting a Youth-Specific Point in Time Count. This means that anyone 24 and younger who completes the Point in Time Count survey will be counted if they are experiencing housing instability, such as couch surfing or doubling up. This is only possible if people volunteer to help canvass the county.
Lane County is committed to developing housing strategies to address the housing crisis. Be a part of the solution and volunteer to collect Point in Time Count surveys. PIT Count data is used locally to make data-driven decisions to address the housing crisis. It is also reported to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Congress.
Every congressional representative is not going to physically visit Lane County anytime soon, but they can see what homelessness looks like here through our data. Volunteer at lanecounty.org/homelesscount.
Alexandria K. Dreher
Lane County Department of Health & Human Services
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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