Thank you so much for telling the stories of the unhoused people who have died locally in 2021. I’m a long-time resident of Lane County and have seen and met plenty of the homeless citizens of Eugene over the past couple of years. Some have kept in touch — most have moved on and I lost track.

Many times in the media, articles have stated that a homeless person died here or there and never is the individual’s name ever mentioned. And I wonder: Is the deceased person someone I’ve met or helped?

So it is truly a blessing to hear the stories of our deceased homeless citizens. What you have written is exactly what I’ve discovered. Most of our homeless citizens have emotional or mental problems, some refusing to get onto or stay on their meds. Then there are the drug-addicted who find it more difficult to recover when there are so many dealers on the streets.

Keep on showing the public that it takes a village to help our homeless.

Holly Sombs

Eugene

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