City of Eugene Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan Outreach Project – Update

04/25/2008

City of Eugene Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan Outreach Project – Update

By Tim Brass, UO CPW Graduate Student

I am part of the Community Planning Workshop (U of O) team that is gathering community ideas, opinions and beliefs on how the City can better serve the needs of all residents. To begin gathering information from the community, I went to the Food for Lane County Dining Room and talked with the diners about the steps the city could take to better serve their needs. I also asked a number of more specific questions which related to the draft goals of the Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan (DESP).

I found these conversations to be quite informative. Most people were more than willing to share their opinions and ideas, and for the most part, Eugene was described as a friendly place where people are generally taken care of (especially at the Food for Lane County Dining Room). At the same time, it is clear that people feel there is room for improvement. Some of the broad issues which seemed to be of interest were; medical care, aid for the elderly, affordable housing, shelter options and the City’s camping/ lay-down laws. Over the next couple months, I will continue to conduct interviews, surveys and focus groups with community members who are interested in sharing their ideas. It is my hope that this information will be integrated into specific actions that the city can take to improve services to all.

Tim Brass

tbrass@uoregon.edu

Feel free to contact me with any suggestions, comments, questions, etc. in regards to these efforts.