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Auburn mayor previews State of the City, highlights homelessness and substance-use response and 2024 budget choices
Summary
Mayor Nancy Backus told a city podcast that Auburn’s human-services team had 472 unique interactions and housed 205 people in 2024, and said the city has redirected budget priorities — including adding officers and funding for facilities — to address rising substance use and homelessness.
Nancy Backus, mayor of Auburn, discussed the city’s response to homelessness and substance use disorder and previewed her Feb. 26 State of the City during an episode of the podcast That’s So Auburn.
The mayor said Auburn’s human‑services and anti‑homelessness teams recorded 472 unique interactions with people experiencing homelessness in 2024 and that city staff housed 205 of them. “I don't believe anyone is a throwaway. I believe every human has value,” Backus said, framing the city’s approach as focused on both services and accountability.
Why this matters: Backus said the city has shifted funds and staffing priorities to respond to escalating drug problems and visible homelessness, and that recent budgets included additions intended to support public safety and facilities. During the interview she described how substance‑use patterns in Auburn have changed over the last decade — from…
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