South Oregon News

The City recently concluded its first series of town hall meetings to talk about the organization's efforts to address homelessness and highlight related challenges our community is facing. This fourth event was hosted by Ward 3 Councilors Kevin Stine and Chad Miller.

Nearly 130 community members attended the event, and the panel answered around 80 questions from the audience during the Q&A session.

Some of the questions asked were, "Why was the McAndrews site selected for the new Urban Campground?" and "Has the City communicated with the Medford School District and Santo Community Center about the new Urban Campground location?"

When City staff went out and looked for the new Urban Campground site, there were certain parameters that had to be followed, including that it had to be near a bus line and service providers needed to be close by. The City identified a few potential sites, but most of them were sold. The owner of the McAndrews site was willing to sell the property to the City, and the site was a good match for the Urban Campground. 

The City has communicated with the school district and Santo about the new Urban Campground location and didn't receive any concerns from the district or facility. 

Click here for an overview of how the City is addressing homelessness, the current challenges the organization is facing, the work that’s being done by the Livability Team and how the City is investing in services.

The following testimonials were received from community members following the town hall event:

"These meetings were very well organized. I really appreciated the format and learned a lot from you all on the panel! It makes me want to get more involved and encourage other people to do the same."

"I want to thank you for conducting the city town hall meetings addressing the homeless issue. They were well done and obviously appreciated by your constituents."

"Thank you for taking the time to conduct these meetings. They are an excellent venue to explain to the public at large the problems and challenges the city faces in dealing with this issue. They were educational and informative."

The City plans to host more town hall meetings in the future and will provide information on our website when those details become available.

Original source can be found here