I live relatively close to Opportunity Village Eugene. OVE residents clearly take pride in keeping their area of tiny houses neat and clean.

Conversely, homeless camps scattered around the area are littered with trash and God knows what else. That’s the complaint of a lot of people. Those campers could very well be showing their resentment for having to sleep in the cold and wet.

I ask myself if I were unhoused, would I do the same? Yes, possibly. There are few, if any, incentives for keeping their camps clean and trash-free. What can we do about that?

One possibility is for them to earn a stipend from the city and/or county to roam around the area picking up refuse and depositing it at specific sites. I envision something like we had for the homeless count when teams would comb areas known for homeless camps along the railroad tracks and Beltline, Bethel Drive and the woods around Stewart Pond.

What’s a fair wage for what weight of refuse? What are some other ideas and where can we share them? Let’s get pro-active.  

Graham Hoyt Lewis
Eugene