Lane County homeless shelters will have about 60 fewer beds that serve people year-round after the state housing agency has turned down the county’s request to seek emergency funding from lawmakers.
Lane County officials notified homeless service providers about the development Tuesday and released a list of trimmed services Wednesday, Nov. 19. The cuts leave the county’s state-funded homeless shelters with 514 beds, down from 574.
Besides 60 fewer beds, the county also will have at least 200 fewer beds at the Egan Warming Centers, which are activated when nighttime temperatures are forecast to drop below 30 degrees. Shelters also lost funding for about 32 full-time positions, many of them caseworkers who provide services that connect people to other aid, such as affordable housing or recovery houses during a journey out of addiction…