Lane County renews River Avenue shelter contract despite criticism

Lane County kept 75 beds open at 100 River Avenue in Eugene for another year, renewing what is widely viewed as the county’s most expensive shelter contract even as neighbors continue to question whether the cost is justified.

Commissioners unanimously approved the one-year extension in July 2025, allowing Equitable Social Solutions, the for-profit operator of the River Avenue Navigation Center, to keep running the low-barrier shelter without interruption. Local coverage put the contract at nearly $4 million, while another report described it as about $3.4 million depending on which costs were included.

The decision keeps one of Lane County’s largest shelter options in place at a time when the rest of the homelessness system is strained. County reporting showed 4,458 active clients on the by-name list in September 2025, and a May 2026 budget story warned that a $5.8 million shortfall would force cuts to shelter beds and health programs. If River Avenue were to close, people staying there would face fewer immediate options in a system already under pressure.

The center opened in August 2022 as part of a broader promise by Lane County and the City of Eugene to make homelessness “rare, brief, and non-recurring.” Commissioner Pat Farr and Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis were among the officials tied to the launch. Since then, county materials have said the shelter is meant to help guests overcome barriers to housing, including document retrieval, income problems, credit repair and rental history issues.

That goal has not settled the larger dispute around the site. The River Avenue shelter has drawn sustained criticism from nearby residents, including people in North Eugene who have raised public-safety concerns and questioned whether a large, low-barrier, county-backed shelter run by a private contractor is the best use of public money. Supporters counter that the county still needs the beds because thousands of people remain in Lane County’s homelessness response system and shelter supply remains limited.

The renewal means the political fight over River Avenue is far from over. For now, the county has chosen continuity over change, keeping a controversial shelter open while it continues to wrestle with rising need, tight budgets and the cost of providing one of the few low-barrier places in Eugene where unhoused residents can sleep tonight.