Illustrative Plan for Garfield Site

The village program includes:

Village Gateway: An appropriately designed and crafted landmark that will introduce residents and visitors to the sustainable vision of Opportunity Village.

Welcome Kiosk (60sf): Located just inside the Village Gateway and staffed by village residents and/or trained volunteers to provide information to visitors and maintain a safe environment.

Administrative Center (120sf):  Adjacent to the kiosk, this multi-purpose structure will support the day to day operation of the village and include a loft for those on night shift security duty.

Covered Bicycle Parking: Secure and covered bicycle parking area near the front gate.

Dwellings (60-100sf): Micro-housing with lockable doors and front porches. The pilot project will be limited to no more than 30 dwelling units and is currently proposing the use of Conestoga Huts, Conic Shells, and Budget Bungalows.  See the Village Structure Catalog for more details.

Raised Garden Beds: Simple raised garden beds of varying sizes will provide organic food, an aesthetically pleasant environment, and the opportunity to invest in one’s immediate surroundings.

Donations & Tool Storage (200sf): A space to accommodate incoming donations to be organized for use and distribution.  These items will be part of the local village economy

Micro-Businesses: Accommodate independent work areas and feature display counters and windows where village residents can sell or trade their goods and services to support the village.

Greenhouse:  To support the ability for growing certain crops year round.  Additional uses may also be pursued in this area such as aquaponic systems, bee keeping, chicken coops, and composting

Garbage, Recycling & Compost Bins: Clustered for ease of access by residents and service trucks.

Pantry (160sf): An area for storing food.

Dining Area (400sf): An enclosed area adjacent to the Pantry and Covered Cooking Area for sharing meals and various other activities.  This space will also include a central electric charging station.

Covered Cooking Area (100sf):  A covered “barbecue” style cooking area that may be supported by a mobile food cart.

Restrooms & Showers: Three toilets (one ADA accessible), and two showers with sinks.

Notional Roundhouse (120sf): A flexible structure that can support a use desired by residents such as a spiritual sanctuary or village library.

Covered Gathering Area (750sf): A covered area that can accommodate 30 people and support informal and scheduled activities such as village meetings, celebrations, or public speaking.

Bunkhouse (200sf): To assist in the intake process, this space can house up to four new residents before they receive their micro-housing.

Defined Path Network: A defined, gravel path network that connects the various structures of the village and reduces mud during the wet season

Parking/Loading Area: Short-term parking will be provided just outside the front gate for visitors and loading/unloading.  There will be no long-term resident parking on site and the primary means of resident transportation is expected to be by bicycle or bus.  The non-profit organization will provide residents with bus passes.

Conestoga Hut Time Lapse

This time lapse video shows a Conestoga hut being constructed in the workshop of Community Supported Shelters and then carried next door to be assembled in the parking lot of the Apostolic Church next door.  It was the third hut to be assembled on the site.

Our partner, Community Supported Shelter, currently has an Indigogo campaign going called Tool Up for the Homeless to in order to fund more tools for volunteer work events like this.

Conestoga Huts in Use - Ready, Set, Go!

Mark and Dianne were the first two people placed in a Conestoga hut as a part of the city's car camping program.  OVE board member, Rev. Dr. Brent Was, and his congregation at the Church of the Resurrection are hosting the two Conestoga's and will soon be looking to add a third.  The components of the huts were constructed off site at our workshop space with a combination of new and recycled materials, and then assembled on site with help from Mark, Dianne, Community Supported Shelters and a couple handful of volunteers.  Thanks to all who came out to support the effort!

Check out the completed huts here.

Update:
A third hut has now gone up at the Church of the Resurrection.  Mark and Dianne helped a couple of new neighbors move in with another handful of helpers.  See some photos of the collaborative effort below.

Fundraiser @ Cornbread Cafe - Sunday, Jan. 13

Council Approves Garfield Site for Pilot Project

Originally posted in the Register Guard on December 11 by Saul Hubbard

It won’t be up and running for the coldest snaps of this winter as they’d originally hoped, but homeless advocates won their biggest bureaucratic victory to date on Monday for their proposed Opportunity Village Eugene.

After examining potential sites for several months, the City Council picked a vacant lot on North Garfield Street near Roose­velt Boulevard as the future site of a “micro-housing pilot project for the homeless.” The vacant lot was among five sites under consideration.

Aerial imagery of the site on North Garfield Street towards the end of its use as a trailer park.  The site has since been sold to the city and is currently vacant.

The council approved, on a 6-1 vote, a motion that allows city staff to select a nonprofit organization to operate the pilot program and to enter into a lease agreement with the agency for use of the city-owned property. Councilor Mike Clark voted against the motion, and Councilor George Poling was absent.

“We’ve got a bunch of citizens who’ve put a huge amount of work into this proposal,” Councilor Alan Zelenka said after the vote. “I didn’t want to wait another month. I felt we had enough information (about the sites) to move ahead now.”

Zelenka cautioned that the process of securing a conditional-use permit for the homeless site could take “between four and six months.” That means the village might not be operational until April or June, at the earliest.

With little discussion, the council also expedited an ordinance that will allow 6-foot-by-14-foot wood-frame structures, called Conestoga huts, to be used by the homeless population at city-endorsed vehicle-camping sites.

After the city’s legal counsel determined that the structures, made of plywood and siding with a vinyl roof, could not be considered tents — which are allowed at the vehicle-camping sites — the council unanimously signed off on discussing and potentially approving a new ordinance allowing for the huts at those sites at its meeting on Wednesday. The speeded-up process means the ordinance will require six votes, more than a simple majority, to pass.

Earlier in the evening, the councilors heard close to 90 minutes of often-impassioned testimony on the issue of homelessness in Eugene, much of which centered on criticism of the council’s inaction on the Opportunity Village project.

Speakers, fearful that the council would punt on the proposal until next year, stressed the dangers of living on the streets, from physical violence and the threat of arrest to the harsh winter cold. Instead, a council majority decided to settle on the Garfield site before its winter recess.

“I think it’s a very good choice, given the choices that we have,” said Councilor Claire Syrett.

Added Zelenka: “It made sense from the standpoint that it was the site with the least amount of controversy.”

Conversely, Clark, who said he is supportive of many other initiatives to help the local homeless population, said he believed the concept itself hadn’t received enough vetting.

“It’s still something that we haven’t had as thorough a discussion about ... as we should,” he said.

Zelenka said many of the finer details about the pilot project will have to be worked out by city staff.

Under Zelenka’s motion, the lease with the nonprofit agency requires “insurance to protect the city against liability.” The pilot project will sunset on Oct. 1, 2014. No later than March 2014, the motion states, the city manager will report back to the council with recommendations for improvements, should the council decide to continue the experiment.

The council did not address a request by a homeless advocacy group and several members of the audience to eliminate the city’s ban on overnight camping on public property, including city parks.

The other sites under consideration for the homeless village had included the former Naval Reserve Center property at West 13th Avenue and Chambers Street, near Chavez Elementary School, and three grassy parcels next to Interstate 105 near student apartment complexes northeast of Autzen Stadium.