The Roadmap

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. 

The role of the coalition: Amplify, Advocate, Advance — improving the system

  • AMPLIFY work already happening through a public awareness campaign to simplify access to information, and show where resources are needed and ways to engage;
  • ADVOCATE for additional resources and/or policy change by engaging with elected officials, community influencers, and the larger public as appropriate; and  
  • ADVANCE shared strategies — leading as a coalition — to improve cross-sector coordination, regular gaps analysis, and collective accountability to address the size and scale of our crisis. 

    The following are  KEY RECOMMENDATIONS we believe will reduce the number of community members experiencing homelessness in Lane County. The strategies are organized in three areas of focus: (1) housing and prevention — the core solutions to make lasting change; (2) critical short- and-mid-term stabilization and support efforts; and (3) improvements that are needed for the overarching system.

    This roadmap is a living document to guide the coalition — for improved collaboration, stronger advocacy, increased communications, and engaging new ideas and needed resources to help reduce the number of people who are unhoused. Across all of these recommendations, is the VALUE of utilizing racial equity, trauma-informed, strength-based, client-centered and data-driven approaches.  

    Housing & Prevention

    We are focused on addressing the central cause of homelessness: our region’s housing crisis due to our critically low housing inventory. We will work to invest in strategies to increase housing units and prevent people who are unstably housed from falling into homelessness:

    1. Dramatically increase available housing — through new production across the housing continuum, including supportive units (from secure residential to permanent supportive), and bolstering innovative solutions (e.g., home sharing, turnkey or conversion)
    2. Preserve existing affordable housing units — through preservation and rehabilitation 
    3. Increase prevention efforts before homelessness — through vouchers, landlord engagement and targeted assistance (financial and support services for unstably housed)
    Stabilization & Support

    While we are building more housing, the coalition supports short- and mid-term strategies to reduce unsheltered homelessness, invigorate support services, and address public safety concerns:

    1. Maintain and expand shelter — by improving the capacity of existing shelter organizations, advancing coordinated access, maintaining existing shelter, and expanding diverse shelter options
    2. Advance strategies and services to move people out of homelessness and shelter into housing — by continuing to improve our coordinated entry system, and advancing best practices for transitioning into permanent housing (e.g., diversion, rapid rehousing, rent assistance, and focused street outreach)
    3. Increase safety, accountability, and cleanliness in our community — through enhanced service response and coordination in public spaces, including safety, behavioral health, street outreach, and clean-up efforts
    4. Create a more robust crisis response system — by investing in solutions to connect people directly to stabilizing locations and supportive services
    5. Create more employment pathways — through training, jobs, and employment supports for unhoused individuals who are unemployed or underemployed
    Improving the System

    Focus on strategies that cross over both categories above:

    1. Increase resources to adequately fund housing and homeless services
    2. Increase broader public awareness and engagement (including tracking and sharing the Coalition’s impact)
    3. Improve cross-sector coordination for collective accountability and advocate for policy change
    4. Support the capacity and effectiveness of nonprofit organizations addressing housing and homelessness

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