LOC will press legislature for homeless funding
By Terry Murry on Friday, November 4th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Homelessness is a major issue, and the League of Oregon Cities’ task force has designed one way to address the problems that arise. Pendleton Mayor John Turner says the task force is getting ready to lobby the Oregon Legislature to send money to the cities.
“The proposal is that every city in the state would get no less than $50,000, but could get as much as $40 per citizen,” he said. “A city the size of Pilot Rock might get a little over $50,000 while a city the size of Pendleton might get $480,000.”
Turner said another important element is the cities, not the state, would direct what that funding is to address.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all with the homelessness issue,” he said. “You could use them for abatement and cleanup. You could put it into more affordable housing, hire community resource officers, help food banks, put up hygiene stations, and work on issues to try to get people into housing.”
The Oregon Legislature holds legislative days Dec. 7-9. The next session begins on Jan. 17, 2023, and will last until June 25, 2023.
