Lane County approves one-year contract with Equitable Social Solutions for navigation center amid neighborhood safety concerns

Lane County commissioners on July 22 approved a one-year contract with Equitable Social Solutions (ESS) to operate the county—s navigation center, voting 5-0 to adopt Order 25070810 after extended public comment from residents and business owners who said the facility harms neighborhood safety and children.

The contract approval followed more than an hour of public testimony from River Road, Santa Clara and North Eugene residents who said the navigation center—s current site is too close to school bus stops and walking routes and described visible drug use, property damage and threats to children—s safety. Rich Lock, founder of the Eugene Business Alliance, said the site is "in the wrong spot" and cited what he described as a roughly $53,000-per-bed annual cost when comparing the contract figure he cited to the expected number of beds. Rayla Campbell told commissioners she feared "a child to prick their finger on a needle" near the site.

Why it matters: the navigation center is a low-barrier, short-term program intended to connect people experiencing homelessness with treatment, case management and housing. Neighbors said the program—s location and local behavior by some people in the area have reduced livability and business activity. County staff and commissioners said the navigation center addresses a distinct service need and pointed to outcome data that staff said show a substantial share of participants move to permanent housing.

What staff told the board: Eve Gray, director of Lane County Health & Human Services, told commissioners the contract funds a program that serves about 175 people per year and that the county—s annual contract figure is roughly in the $3.3 million to $3.4 million range. "We have a $3,400,000 contract, serving 175 people per year," Gray said during the discussion. Gray and other staff said the contract supports intensive case management, housing navigation and on-site services designed to reduce returns to homelessness.

Fiscal and performance comparisons: Several public speakers and local providers offered cost comparisons. Joseph Washburn and Gabe Petrovich of Everyone Village described a lower-cost shelter model: Everyone Village—s annual contract was cited in testimony at roughly $810,000 serving roughly 70 clients, while speakers cited the navigation center contract at roughly $3.3 million and argued those programs are not directly comparable because of different client acuity and models. County staff said the navigation center model is bed-throughput based (serving more than the number of beds during a year) and that state funding formulas and program requirements affect how funds can be used.

Neighborhood accountability and next steps: Commissioners pressed for stronger neighborhood protections and said the county would continue to pursue partnerships with Eugene Police Department, school security teams and property owners. Commissioners asked ESS and county staff for better communication channels and regular reporting. Chair and commissioners asked county staff to provide quarterly updates to the board on calls for service, security incidents, confirmed resident involvement and the county—s response. Director Gray also described operational changes ESS has made since opening, including increased on-site security, a resident council, expanded on-site partner services (mobile health, workforce, treatment provider visits) and food-service adjustments.

Board action: Commissioner Farr moved to approve Order 25070810 to authorize the contract action with Equitable Social Solutions and to delegate signature authority to the county administrator; Vice Chair Senegas seconded. The motion carried 5-0.

What remains unresolved: Neighbors asked for additional enforcement presence, greater outreach to North Eugene High School and clearer communications with property owners. Commissioners discussed the limits of state funding (which, staff said, is tied to beds and throughput) and urged expanding the local provider pipeline so community-based organizations can compete for future contracts. The board scheduled continued oversight: staff will provide quarterly operational and calls-for-service reports and the county administrator and HHS director said they will pursue joint coordination with the city and school district to address off-site criminal behavior when it occurs.

Ending: The contract was approved, but the commissioners emphasized ongoing monitoring and additional partnership work to respond to neighborhood safety concerns and to improve the navigation center—s relationships with nearby businesses and schools.