Tag: Eugene Rest Stop and Micro Village Program Evaluation CPW Community Planning Workshop

Rubber Meets the Road: Taking the Pulse of the Community

Posted on by Julia Havens

Eugene-Micro-VillageRecently, our Community Planning Workshop Team finished collecting upwards of 90 surveys as part of our project to evaluate Eugene’s rest stop policy and micro village programs. Over the span of two weeks, our group administered door-to-door surveys in the areas nearest the rest stops and micro village.

We decided that we would survey addresses, both businesses and residents, within a 500-foot radius of each rest stop and the micro village. The rationale for surveying local business and residents within a 500-foot radius is to capture the perceptions and perspectives most affected by these camps. Capturing these perspectives is important to the program evaluation process because these nearby business owners and residents were expected to be most impacted by the sites.

In addition to splitting ourselves into two groups, with each group consisting of two student members and a representative from the Eugene’s Humans Rights Commission, we split the addresses in two as well. In the instance that a business was closed or a representative wasn’t available to participate in the survey, we left a postcard that included a description of our project and survey, as well as the web address to the survey on-line. Postcards were also left at residences where no one was readily available to take the survey.

As a group, we dialogued about our experience facilitating surveys in the community.  We all agreed that hitting the pavement and walking door-to door for several hours administering survey questions was a humbling experience because we were able to connect with community members in hopes to contribute positive change in their community. It was this process that demonstrated not only the value in accounting for community opinion and perspective, but this process also demonstrated the effort it takes to truly engage the community in a meaningful way.

Eugene-Micro-Village-2While there were individuals that expressed discontent, there were many more that were emphatic in their support for initiatives that provide safe, secure places for the unhoused to sleep. Generally, neighbors agreed with the facilitation of services like the rest-stops and micro villages, but feel as though the City could be doing more to accommodate Eugene’s unhoused population.

The process was taxing at times, but overall proved to be a rewarding and meaningful experience. Being able to share in the gathering and communication of neighbor feedback to decision makers is right at the intersection of community engagement and impact that pushed us to join this team.

About the Authors:

Jaleel Reed Evaluating Rest Stops and Micro-Villages EugeneJaleel Reed is a dual-Master’s student in Environmental Studies as well as Community and Regional Planning. An environmental scientist by degree from Northwestern University, he has re-oriented his interest toward environmental justice and community development. Outside of class, Jaleel doubles as a food and fitness enthusiast.

 

Brody Abbott CPW Community Planning Workshop Eugene Microvillage EvaluationBrody Abbott received his Bachelors of Degree in Criminal Justice from Southern Oregon University in 2013. During his free time he enjoys playing with his dog, Rufus, playing basketball, and enjoying the great outdoors. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Brody is close to his friends and family.

Promise Fulfilled

Posted on by Julia Havens

CPW Community Planning Workshop Team Eugene Microvillage Evaluation

The first time I had a close interaction with an unhoused individual was when I was in the 6th grade. I was attending the Environmental Middle School (EMS) in Portland Oregon, which is a magnet school that has a strong emphasis in community development and environmental awareness. One key component to graduating from EMS is volunteering your time to one service project. There was a list of projects to choose from. The project that I chose was to volunteer my time at a soup kitchen in downtown Portland. I spent 4 hours a week during my 6th grade year serving and bussing tables at the soup kitchen.

My experience at a young age feeding the unhoused in downtown Portland made me empathetic to individuals that were less fortunate than me. What really resonated with me was how much the unhoused individuals were so thankful that I was volunteering my time to help them on a regular basis. Since my experience, I have always been empathetic towards the unhoused. I told myself if I have an opportunity to give back to the Homeless community in the future, I would do so.

I feel privileged to be in collaboration with the Community Planning Workshop and the City of Eugene working on a project with the unhoused, specially, doing a program evaluation of Opportunity Village and the two rest stops that are currently sanctioned in Eugene. I decided to work on this project because I have a passion for developing communities and infrastructures for particular populations that can’t get their voices heard. This experience will increase my knowledge of the unhoused, working with like-minded students who share the same values on the unhoused, and provide objective recommendations to the City of Eugene.

Our CPW team had a meeting with stakeholders to dialogue about Opportunity Villiage and the Safe Spots that serve the unhoused in Eugene. I have learned about policies that both positively and negatively effect the unhoused population in terms of attaining self-sufficiency. Moving forward, our team will facilitate and distribute the survey and interview questions, and analyze the data.  At the end of the day, we hope to capture the perspective of other folks who work with the unhoused population. The team will then compare and contrast the data collected, which will better help the evaluation of current policies.

I am fortunate to be in a position to continue where I left off in the 6th grade with working with the unhoused population. Having this opportunity to evaluate the current state of the ordinances affecting the unhoused in Eugene is in line with my passion of community and professional development. I am thankful for the collaboration with a passionate team of fellow UO students, who share the same goals of equity and inclusion.

 

Brody Abbott CPW Community Planning Workshop Eugene Microvillage Evaluation About the Author: Brody Abbott received his Bachelors of Degree in Criminal Justice from Southern Oregon University in 2013. During his free time he enjoys playing with his dog, Rufus, playing basketball, and enjoying the great outdoors. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Brody is close to his friends and family.