Justice
Eugene, Oregon's Radical Solution to Homelessness: A Bare-Bones Shed Village
None of the structures in Opportunity Village pass dwelling codes, but the community is a grassroots attempt at the newly embraced Housing First model.
This story is the first of a multipart CityLab series launching this month on the state of homelessness policy in American cities.
Back in 2011, Eugene, Oregon—like many U.S. cities—had an Occupy camp pop up in a public space. And like in many cities, Eugene’s camp became a residence for not only activists but large numbers of homeless individuals. The camp was eventually shut down for safety reasons, another story common to Occupy encampments across the country. But in Eugene, something unexpected happened next.