Springfield police arrested a theft suspect on Christmas Eve and also helped provide Christmas presents for the victim family s children, authorities said.
In a global pandemic and during a rainy winter, unhoused people don’t have many options for places to go. The continual clearing out of camps and ticketing by the city of Eugene hasn’t helped, either.
After months of criticism about the ways Eugene addressed homelessness during COVID-19, the city restructured its policies to allow some urban camping. But a growing coalition of advocates say it isn’t enough. They instead call for wider and more drastic reform for the age-old story to stop criminalizing the homeless.
The camping rules were most recently adjusted in December 2020, according to the city, which sent out a press release in late January detailing where people were not allowed to camp. Individuals are not allowed to camp in wetlands, some natural areas and the city’s stormwater facilities. Campers are also not allowed to stay within 50 feet of private property and within 300 feet of playgrounds, park shelters and the city of Eugene transitional housing location