4 ms·

I currently live in Eugene and have noticed a few peculiarities (near campus and away from downtown, YMMV): * Homeless rarely have their things with them, sugg

I currently live in Eugene and have noticed a few peculiarities (near campus and away from downtown, YMMV): * Homeless rarely have their things with them, suggesting perhaps that housing and storage are provided (at some level) to them. * Those who panhandle near campus ask strictly for cash, and seem to some extent disappointed when they are given food instead. * Homeless are never on campus, EVER. This seems strange to me because facilities such as bathrooms, drinking fountains, out-of-sight benches, and rain-cover, are in abundance. Clearly they are kept away, but it surprises me how EFFECTIVELY they are kept away, almost as if they are afraid of it. * During the various University touring seasons (year round but more coming in Spring/Summer) there appears to be fewer homeless people in the more touristy areas near campus. This is purely anecdotal, but again it appears as if there is some contract with the local homeless to keep them away. * Every morning recycling bins are spilled with their contents spread out as if someone came during the night and rumaged through them. This is particularly evident in the many alley ways near campus where most garbage/recycling is found. I would think there was some type of reward program geared towards the homeless that incentivized collection of recyclables, but it back fired and led to a large amount of littering in the area. I have never been even close to homeless but I have always lived around it (San Francisco, Greater Bay Area, Eugene) and am somewhat fascinated by its societal implications. Eugene in particular is unique because it seems like a lot of people are trying really hard to make it better, yet are failing for a lot of reasons.

SwellJoe 10y ago
"Every morning recycling bins are spilled with their contents spread out as if someone came during the night and rumaged through them." This one I can explain. Oregon has a deposit/return program; several states have them. The basic premise is that every product in a can or bottle includes a deposit fee, which you only get back when you return the can or bottle for recycling. I think the deposit is .05 on most single serving sized bottles and cans. So, 20 cans collected is $1.00. 100 is enough to buy a pretty good meal. It's kind of a normal part of some homeless folks day to roam around collecting bottles and cans; it's not as profitable as flying a sign at a busy intersection or busking, or even just asking for money downtown, but it is maybe more comfortable for the folks who don't want to beg (I can understand that; I don't know if I could ask someone for money even if I were starving, with this damned American work ethic and foolish pride). Since there is very little incentive to put the trash back in the bins after they've collected the items that are worth month, they just leave the trash on the ground. I guess there is even a disincentive to pick up the mess; that's time that could have been spent collecting more items worth money. It's annoying, but perfectly rational. I've never asked any of the folks I know why they don't spend any time on campus; I've never been to the campus, myself, so it's not part of my Eugene experience, thus far. Downtown (and Whiteaker for bus and van dwellers) is clearly the preferred location in Eugene. Springfield's homeless are much more widely disbursed, not sure why, and seem to congregate in a few specific locations near the river. I haven't really made the acquaintance of any of them to ask, but I see them on my walk between the RV park where I'm staying and the co-working space I'm renting in Springfield. They tend to be older, and I suspect they want nothing to do with the kids in downtown Eugene, because of how much drama there is among that crowd. Eugene is an interesting place, in terms of how visible the homeless population is. There seems to be somewhat less hostility in both directions (i.e. in a lot of places I've lived, homeless folks are treated very poorly, and they tend to be surly in response...that dynamic doesn't seem to play out here; there's maybe less fear in both directions). I dunno. I don't have solutions, really, but I do like to see people treated with basic human decency, no matter what their situation. I judge a city (and its inhabitants), to a significant degree, by how it treats those most at risk and most in need; and homeless folks are certainly among the most at risk and most in need.

SwellJoe 10y ago

"Every morning recycling bins are spilled with their contents spread out as if someone came during the night and rumaged through them." This one I can explain. Oregon has a deposit/return program; several states have them. The basic premise is that every product in a can or bottle includes a deposit fee, which you only get back when you return the can or bottle for recycling. I think the deposit is .05 on most single serving sized bottles and cans. So, 20 cans collected is $1.00. 100 is enough to buy a pretty good meal. It's kind of a normal part of some homeless folks day to roam around collecting bottles and cans; it's not as profitable as flying a sign at a busy intersection or busking, or even just asking for money downtown, but it is maybe more comfortable for the folks who don't want to beg (I can understand that; I don't know if I could ask someone for money even if I were starving, with this damned American work ethic and foolish pride). Since there is very little incentive to put the trash back in the bins after they've collected the items that are worth month, they just leave the trash on the ground. I guess there is even a disincentive to pick up the mess; that's time that could have been spent collecting more items worth money. It's annoying, but perfectly rational. I've never asked any of the folks I know why they don't spend any time on campus; I've never been to the campus, myself, so it's not part of my Eugene experience, thus far. Downtown (and Whiteaker for bus and van dwellers) is clearly the preferred location in Eugene. Springfield's homeless are much more widely disbursed, not sure why, and seem to congregate in a few specific locations near the river. I haven't really made the acquaintance of any of them to ask, but I see them on my walk between the RV park where I'm staying and the co-working space I'm renting in Springfield. They tend to be older, and I suspect they want nothing to do with the kids in downtown Eugene, because of how much drama there is among that crowd. Eugene is an interesting place, in terms of how visible the homeless population is. There seems to be somewhat less hostility in both directions (i.e. in a lot of places I've lived, homeless folks are treated very poorly, and they tend to be surly in response...that dynamic doesn't seem to play out here; there's maybe less fear in both directions). I dunno. I don't have solutions, really, but I do like to see people treated with basic human decency, no matter what their situation. I judge a city (and its inhabitants), to a significant degree, by how it treats those most at risk and most in need; and homeless folks are certainly among the most at risk and most in need.