While praising a local housing project designed to help, the Nov. 8 Register-Guard article “A Step in the Right Direction” cited a study giving Eugene the dubious distinction of ranking first in the U.S. in per capita homelessness.

Crisis equals opportunity. I hope we can take this ball and run — even the field and then some. Slam, dunk, swish. Overcome each hurdle. Go the distance. Sprint to the finish line. Score only home runs. Huddle up, tackle the problem full on and place on top.

Go for the gold: If just a tiny portion of each Duck event ticket could go to funding numerous large-scale housing projects with concomitant 24-hour services (perhaps in vacant buildings such as the old downtown LCC or former Greyhound bus station), I believe we could make a huge difference in the quality of life of our whole community.

The cost, but a sip of beer hardly noticeable to tailgaters, would include funds from pockets of visitors attending sports events, among them the two high-profile track meets. Let’s not fumble this opportunity but, rather, distinguish ourselves from the rest of the pack, and be the model for our entire nation to emulate.

Jenny Gusset

Eugene