In Lane County, the need to address homelessness has garnered the attention of state and local agencies, health organizations, and community leaders from all political backgrounds. The establishment of a Housing First community meets the goals outlined in the Lane County Poverty and Homelessness Board Strategic Plan, and needs identified in the Community Health Improvement Plan and the Lane County Strategic Plan. In late 2016, Lane County Health & Human Services provided funding to Homes for Good Housing Agency to conduct a feasibility analysis to identify overall feasibility, timing and cost of a Housing First Project in Lane County. The analysis also included visiting several existing Housing First projects.
These initial efforts resulted in a 51-unit Housing First complex with an array of supportive services on Martin Luther King Blvd in Eugene, Oregon next to both Lane County Behavioral Health and Community Health Center primary health care. The project utilizes a Housing First Supported Housing model with supports available 24 hours a day through an array of on-site providers. Project funding includes a variety of sources including tax credits, federal and local funding and private grants. Construction completed in January of 2021, with the first residents moving in shortly after.
Wait List Downloads and ResourcesPlacement into The Commons on MLK is done ONLY through referrals from Lane County's Centralized Waitlist through the Coordinated Entry System. Coordinated Entry is a standard process that is the “Front Door” for connecting people experiencing homelessness to available housing and ongoing support to stay housed. People are matched with a housing program based on their need and level of vulnerability. Not everyone who completes a Front Door Assessment will be matched with a housing program. The goal of Coordinated Entry is to make homelessness a rare, brief, and one-time occurrence. This list is not first come first served. Lane County prioritizes chronically homeless households for all programs that pull referrals from the Central Wait List.
For more information go to www.lanecounty.org/MLKCommons