Eugene Reports Major Cleanup, Outreach Effort to Address Homelessness

City departments detailed a broad push to manage visible impacts of homelessness and keep public spaces safe and clean. The update issued December 2 said the city and its partners have focused on both direct services for people without housing and maintenance work that affects everyone who lives works and travels in Eugene.

The scale of the challenge is stark. More than 3,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Eugene and the Eugene Community Survey 2025 identified homelessness as the top concern for residents. In the first nine months of 2025 the city reported several concrete results intended to reduce public health and safety risks while connecting people to social services.

Public Space Team members shared more than 2,000 resource cards that list social services and supports available to unhoused community members. Public Works Maintenance Parks and Open Spaces and Downtown Rapid Response removed 7,074 yards of debris from public property and retrieved 758 shopping carts, work that city officials say has made parks travel lanes and stormwater systems safer and cleaner. Neighborhood Service Officers responded to over 7,100 work orders for service including requests about vehicles stored on the street and on park land structures in the public way and other parking related violations across the greater Eugene area.

The combined outreach and maintenance effort is designed to reduce risks for both people without housing and the broader community. Safer sidewalks and clearer travel lanes affect commuters and local businesses, cleaner parks make routes safer for children walking to school and reduced debris helps protect storm drains during heavy rains. At the same time the city continues to support local shelters and press for state shelter funding as part of a strategy to make homelessness rare brief and nonrecurring.

City officials framed the update as a snapshot of ongoing programs and collaboration across departments. The work will continue into the winter months as the city balances public health and sanitation needs with efforts to increase shelter capacity and provide services to those in need.