Riding my bike around Eugene and along the river I notice the growing number of tent camps and people sleeping or crashed out in the streets and parks.
I wonder, why isn’t the city doing more to address this growing crisis? It is not going to go away, or fix itself.
I see lots of building going on: Hayward Field, the Fifth Street Market. I see the River Walk project, plans to redo the park blocks and build a new City Hall. Lots of new housing being built.
I don’t see plans to build housing for the unhoused that include services for treating mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, job counseling and the other social services to help those ready return to healthy and productive living. I don’t see ads for 50 new social workers, 50 drug and alcohol counselors and 50 mental illness professionals.
Here is what I am not talking about: I am not suggesting taking the unhoused to the city limits and asking them to leave. What I am talking about is beginning the hard work of addressing the underlying problems: lack of housing, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and the need for social services that help people return to productive and healthy lives.
Keith Wohlberg
Eugene
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
Comments are closed.