Community members convened for the inaugural Eugene Conversation, a new series of events hosted by the local AARP chapter at St. Marks CME Church.
The purpose of the event was to allow residents to discuss their ideas and concerns with incoming Mayor Kaarin Knudson and envision the future of Eugene. A key topic was Eugene’s aging demographic. By 2034, adults over 65 are projected to outnumber children, a significant shift with potentially far-reaching implications.
The housing crisis in Eugene took center stage during the discussion. Incoming Mayor Knudson stated that the solution lies in increasing the availability of affordable and workforce housing to address the needs of residents across income levels.
“All of that service work, all of that support work, needs for people to be housed in order for it to be effective,” said Knudson. “You will not be successful offering services to stabilize someone if they aren’t housed, right? So we have to be working on that stability and that pipeline from shelter capacity into longer-term solutions for affordable housing and more housing production overall, because this also is an expanding crisis.”
The event emphasized the importance of community collaboration and partnerships among nonprofits, city officials, and residents. The next Eugene Conversation will be held on January 25th during the Dr. Martin Luther King Reflections Breakfast.
Another topic of discussion was the closing of White Bird’s Front Rooms, which was described as providing essential services to Eugene’s homeless population. The closing will have a significant impact on the livelihoods of those living on the streets.
“Looking further into the future, it is going to be necessary for us to find ways to partner and do more with the resources we have,” said Knudson. “The good news is that I’m absolutely certain that we have untapped capacity within our community, that if we can better network the extraordinary organizations and resources that already exist in our community from big to small, we can be more effective at meeting people’s needs and not have so many folks feeling like they are slipping through the safety net that we have locally.”
Knudson acknowledged that changes in Eugene’s social services landscape will be challenging and setbacks are expected but community collaboration will be key to improving access to services.