A child on a swing set. People, across the field, sit in the shade. Flower beds, fresh planted, cordoned off by strands of pink ribbon. Several people sleeping on the other side of a hill. Another group huddled, surrounded by piles of trash. A mobile police surveillance tower watches over. It’s a common scene, according to Ted Coopman, chair of Jefferson Westside Neighbors, who is tired of cleaning up Monroe Park.
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Monroe Park sits in the City Center park district, which has the smallest total amount of park space. Monroe, at only 2.5 acres, faces the same issues that larger parks do. Residents in the City Center district were the most likely to see camping in parks, 61%, according to the 2023 Annual Survey of Eugene parks.
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The survey is a yearly chance for citizens to let the parks department know their thoughts and concerns. Respondents from across Eugene reported homelessness and camping in parks to be their top concern four years running, according to the survey. When asked what improvements they wanted to see, 57% listed “less camping” as the top response.
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The survey, made up of 1,172 respondents, also illustrated the gaps in park safety and cleanliness. Only 43% of respondents said that parks were “very safe” or above, with 53% saying that parks were “very clean.”
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Upkeep and homelessness are often ways to say the same thing, says Ariel Lissman, executive director of the Eugene Parks Foundation.
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“When the community raised the concerns, were they talking about clean parks?” said Lissman. “Are you talking about fresh cut grass or is it just more words to describe homelessness without saying homeless people?”
Parks like Monroe act as a lens through which to study homelessness on a smaller scale. But even just looking at parks, solutions vary, and are sometimes at odds.
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Parks and Open Spaces
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Parks and Open Spaces manages Eugene’s public parks, from Bethel to Laurel Hill. They handle the day-to-day cleanup and maintenance.
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Voters passed the 2023 parks levy — a tax increase of $67 per year — in May, which puts $5.3 million dollars in funding aside for cleanups, safety improvements and new building projects. “The levy has a large focus on safety and making sure people feel safe in parks,” said Kelly Shadwick, the outreach manager for Parks and Open Spaces. “We’re adding ambassadors and cleaning up illicit activity.”
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Additional police officers dedicated to patrolling parks are a key part of that focus. The 2018 parks levy added two more dedicated officers to parks. Unlike the 2018 levy, homelessness and camping were not mentioned in the 2023 ballot mailer.
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Shadwick said that completing these safety projects is difficult, even with the levy passing. “We are stretched pretty thin. Parks workers are working hard to make sure parks are a nice place to visit. But we are short-staffed.”
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While the parks department is understaffed, that hasn’t stopped new projects like the Riverfront Park. The department’s System Plan, which has projects planned out 30 years, falls just under $400 million dollars in proposed spending. Some of that money will go to maintenance and upkeep; much of the rest will go to new projects.
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The 2023 levy will last for five years, and it is unknown if the department will ask voters for a new levy when it expires.
Eugene Parks Foundation
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The parks department is working on new projects. Ariel Lissman wants to see even more. The Eugene Parks Foundation does private fundraising to help build new amenities in parks. This can range from playgrounds in Amazon Park to hiking trails in the Ridgeline system.
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“We’re plugging in the idea of an exceptional experience,” said Lissman. “When you’re there [parks], you’re not just physically experiencing, you’re also emotionally and intellectually engaging.”
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Park projects that create those experiences include four planned Spray Play Parks, as well as five fitness stations. While they may seem disconnected from homelessness and safety solutions, Lissman says they are a key element.
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“When you build beautiful amenities that attract hundreds of people into the park, you know what happens? All the adverse behavior goes away.”
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Lissman also argues that most homelessness people see isn’t in parks. This is in contrast to the 2023 survey, where 81% of respondents reported to see camping in natural areas. On average, 30% reported seeing camping in neighborhood parks.
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While Lissman supports the 2023 levy, he does wish that there were more programs included. “I would be happier to see a different mix on the ticket. Policing enforcement and public safety, I have no issue with. This is just the reality we live in.”
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Jefferson Westside Neighbors
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Neighborhoods like Jefferson Westside meantime are looking for solutions right now. Even amongst neighbors, solutions aren’t so easy to agree on.
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“We had this huge argument with some newer neighbors,” said Coopman. “It’s like, ‘you lack compassion and people need some place to go.’ You say that until you get your bike stolen and had that experince.”
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Ramping up security is one thing that Coopman wants to see in Monroe. “We need overnight security in all the central city parks. We need more of those guardian trailer surveillance things because they actually work as a deterrent.”
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Monroe already features a surveillance tower. It may deter some, but piles of trash and complaints by neighbors show it doesn’t deter all. One thing that people can agree on is that addressing homelessness in the parks needs to be done at the city level.
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“Until we get homelessness under control,” said Coopman, “we’re not going to be able to do anything other than fight a zone defense.”
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Coopmen hopes to have a parks district ⸺ a special district with its own board and focus ⸺ come to Jefferson Westside. Such a district could bring further funding and more security, according to Coopman.
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“What I really would like to see is a different strategy for the parks that are in the urban core,” said Coopman. “Ones that are much more hands on.”