In recent years, Lane County has been reported to have one of the highest rates of homelessness per capita in the nation. At least 4,821 individuals were unhoused as of December 2024 with 83% of people reporting that they lived in Lane County when they lost their housing (Lane County HMIS). In response, a group of community members is examining what can be done differently to address this crisis. From significant research and shared experience, we have come to recognize:

• The central cause of this crisis is our housing market – with years of underproduction culminating in extremely low vacancy rates and high rental and housing costs, we need to dramatically increase housing production and availability;
• A good portion of this housing may need support services for individuals who have been chronically homeless (41% according to HMIS), have a disabling condition (56% of our unhoused population), and/or have mental health or substance use challenges;  
• Providing shelter and services is a critical step while we build more housing (there are ~1,300 shelter spaces in Lane County, leaving ~3,500 people unsheltered every night);
• We must address the impact on our overall community, including accountability and public safety concerns (which impact both housed and unhoused community members); and 
• The increased size and scope of this challenge requires more awareness, engagement, and resources than our current nonprofit and public partners can provide.  

Therefore, we are creating a cross-sector coalition – Advancing Community Together (ACT Now Lane) – with the PURPOSE of addressing our community’s housing and homelessness crisis by rallying around a shared set of recommendations for improved collaboration, stronger advocacy, increased communication, and engaging new ideas and needed resources. We expect the result to include a decrease in siloed housing work, accelerated cross-sector solutions, and an increase in community building and trust. 

Our long-term VISION is to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.  

Our short-term GOALS include: (1) reducing the number of unhoused and unsheltered community members by addressing the critical need for more housing (increasing production and availability); and (2) responding to the street-level crisis by supporting our shelters and services, increasing pathways out of homelessness, and addressing safety concerns.