victimized both by the government and by the citizens of
Eugene and the criminal element, which preys on them.”
What some Eugeneans don’t know, Clark says, is that
the homeless population of the wetlands is about 30 percent
veterans, mirroring a national trend. “There’s quite a few, in-
cluding some elderly Vietnam-era veterans and other people
who are severely disabled — a lot of displaced people who
did nothing wrong except to happen to get sick or injured
or some other misfortune occurs to them that is out of their
control,” Clark says.
SLEEPS activist James Chastain’s camp in the wetlands
was cleared earlier this month, and he’s protesting because
he feels like homeless people have no choices in where to
sleep, especially with overfl owing shelters. He says that in
his experience, the rights of homeless people are routinely
ignored, and he wishes that Eugene had a locally produced
homeless bill of rights that included the names of court de-
cisions protecting homeless people. “I think a lot of those
should be on there because it’s federal law, and when it’s
federal it should be for every state in the union,” Chastain
says. — Shannon Finnell
COUNTY HIRES LIVELY
AS ECONOMIC EXPERT
While the conservative Lane County commissioners are
still prone to supporting controversial timber and mining ef-
forts, work continues to bring other businesses to the area.
As part of its economic development efforts, the county an-
nounced it has hired Springfi eld legislator John Lively as Or-
egon economic development specialist. The commissioners
also voted July 23 to give $200,000 in video lottery dollars
to local business efforts and $100,000 to Canadian compa-
ny Apel. Waiting in the wings are projects such as “Project
WEBER IAGO
OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE
FUNDRAISES & BUILDS
The opening date of Opportunity Village Eugene
(OVE), Eugene’s pilot project for a safe, sustainable
community for homeless people, is fast approaching,
and a series of fundraisers begins 6 pm Sunday, July
28, with “Keys for the Village,” a piano and keyboard
concert featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Weber
Iago.
“We’re getting toward crunch time,” says Cary
Thompson, an OVE board member and president of
the Helios Network. He says the committee and vil-
lage members are making decisions on details like
sanitation and fi nishing vetting the last two occupants;
15 people will live on the pilot site at N. Garfi eld and
Roosevelt. The city plans to use the vacant site in the
next few years, so the location is temporary. “If we do
well, I think we’ll have a good chance of being able
to move the structures and move the infrastructure,”
Thompson says.
Thompson stresses that OVE will be a village, not
a camp, and they’re creating community agreements
that the residents will use to govern. “It’s going to be
fairly well-regulated,” he says. Drinking and drug use
won’t be allowed on the site, though adults are free to
consume alcohol at a bar just like other Eugeneans, as
long as they don’t return drunk and disruptive.
OVE isn’t getting any fi nancial breaks as a hu-
manitarian organization, which is one of the reasons
it’s holding a benefi t. “We just paid the city $7,000
on the conditional use permit,” Thompson says. “We
want to do it right, do it legally and make as sure as
we can that it will be a model that can be replicated.”
Local musicians including Dario LaPoma will
open the Keys for the Village benefi t. Retired chap-
lain and OVE board member Wayne Martin says he’s
looking forward to hearing “Jerry the homeless guy”
play. “He’s in his 60s and he’s been quite the pianist,
and now he’s homeless,” Martin says.
Following the fi rst half of the concert, Wesley
United Methodist Church’s Conestoga hut residents
will hold an open house to show how structures like
those planned for OVE can function. Weber Iago,
who was nominated for a Latin music Grammy, will
close the concert, combining “elements of classical,
jazz, Latin, pop and sacred music.” “I just love what
he’s been doing as a composer,” Martin says.
The Sunday benefi t concert will be held at Wes-
ley United Methodist Church, at the corner of Oak-
way and Cal Young. Suggested donation is $10-
$20, but no one will be turned away. Future OVE
events or fundraisers include a groundbreaking, a
grand opening, the Eugene Celebration Parade and
a Kickstarter or Indiegogo project. For more infor-
mation, check out opportunityvillageeugene.org.
— Shannon Finnell
For many hard working Oregonians, retirement feels unaffordable and unreachable,
but it doesn’t have to be that way.
That’s why AARP fought for state legislation to develop sensible and sustainable
ways to save for retirement in the workplace. These recommendations will go a long
way in getting all hard working Oregonians access to the retirement they’ve earned.
AARP and the Retirement in Reach coalition would like to thank these legislators and
state leaders for championing the bill to help in that fight. We will continue working to
make sure Oregonians get the solutions they need for a secure retirement.
Thank You:
Working
Oregonians
Need
Retirement
Savings
Options
Representative Jules Bailey of Portland
Senator Lee Beyer of Springfield
Senator Peter Courtney of Salem
Representative Tina Kotek of NE Portland
Representative Val Hoyle of West Eugene
Senator Diane Rosenbaum of Portland
Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward of Beaverton
Governor John Kitzhaber
Treasurer Ted Wheeler
facebook.com/AARPOregon
@AARPOR
aarp.org/OR
Paid for by AARP
RetirementinReach.org
eugeneweekly.com • july 25, 2013
9