The only homeless shelter in the Eugene-Springfield area, the Eugene Mission, is retooling to deal with an “overwhelming number of homeless people in town,” Executive Director Jack Tripp says. The shelter is cutting down on the number of people it lets in and toughening its drug and alcohol rules.
The only homeless shelter in the Eugene-Springfield area, the Eugene Mission, is retooling to deal with an “overwhelming number of homeless people in town,” Executive Director Jack Tripp says.
The shelter is cutting down on the number of people it lets in and toughening its drug and alcohol rules.
“There are always arguments here, but they have become more frequent,” he said. “Unless you spend a night here, you don’t know what it’s like. It can be insane.”
The mission operates three centers. The capacity at one for homeless men to spend the night has been reduced from 350 to 285. Its women’s center will remain at 60, but the number of people in its Mothers and Children’s Center has been cut from 34 to 15.
A couple of months ago, nearly 500 people were staying overnight at the mission, Tripp said. He said the staff “was breaking under the strain of having that many mentally ill people and those with criminal backgrounds here.”
Read more at AP.
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