Gary Wildish: Join us once a month to learn more about the Navigation Center

Presenter: During public comment July 7, Lane County commissioners, and residents, are invited to learn more about the Nav Center. Deputy Project Director Hailey Finnigan:

[00:00:10] Hailey Finnigan (Nav Center): Hello, my name is Hailey Finnigan and I’m the deputy project director for the Navigation Center. I’ve been with this incredible team since we opened our doors in 2022. Today you’re going to hear a lot about our data, our successful outcomes, procedures, and the systems we have in place, but before we get too deep into the numbers, I want to bring us back to what this is really about, the people we’re serving.

[00:00:31] The work we do at the Navigation Center is vital not just to our residents, but to the community as a whole. If our contract is not renewed and if we’re forced to close, that won’t be just the end of a program. That would mean 75 people immediately losing shelter, stability, and access to critical services.

[00:00:47] These are individuals who rely on us for meals, behavioral health, hygiene supplies, case management, and medical attention. Many are living with chronic health conditions, mental illness, substance use disorders, and trauma. For many, we’re the only consistent support system they have.

[00:01:03] It’s not realistic to assume other shelters or partners can absorb that kind of need. Our local systems are already over capacity and stretched thin. If we close, the fallout will ripple through the entire network of Lane County services, impacting not just our residents, but every organization trying to meet the same rising demand.

[00:01:21] And to be clear: Those 75 people will not disappear. They’ll be back on the sidewalks, in the parks, outside of your homes and businesses. While I know these external effects are the priority of many, my priority is the survival of this vulnerable population.

And to consider our staff, we have 25 individuals… those folks will be left without jobs. The rising poverty levels and the elimination of government-funded programs have more Americans closer to homelessness than most would like to admit. My staff who work so hard to fight the effects and symptoms of homelessness will find themselves one step closer to experiencing it themselves.

[00:01:57] These are people who’ve dedicated their careers to fighting homelessness who show up every day, not because it’s easy, but because the work here matters.

[00:02:04] We can’t keep talking about wanting solutions while dismantling the very systems that are working. This year alone, we’ve helped over 40 individuals transition into permanent stable housing. That’s 40 lives changed, 40 stories of resilience, and 40 individuals no longer living on the street.

[00:02:20] If you don’t want to focus on the individual people, then let’s focus on the outcomes. We’re good at our job, and the results have reflected that. We’re not just a building, a contract, or an out-of-state name. We are the people we’re serving, and we’re asking for a chance to keep showing up, for them, for our staff, and for this community.

[00:02:38] The issues of homelessness and the epidemic we’re facing around the nation may seem like a burden you don’t want to carry, but we do. Let us carry it. Please let us continue to be a part of the solution and help us help you. Thank you.

[00:02:50] Presenter: Gary Wildish.

[00:02:51] Gary Wildish (Nav Center Community Advisory Committee): I’m Gary Wildish. I’ve lived in the same house in Santa Clara for 35 years plus. I live approximately half a mile away from the Nav Center. I’m a member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Nav Center, have been for the two and a half years. What a tremendous education, I’ve learned a lot.

[00:03:17] And I know all the folks, I read a bunch of the information that’s been on the Facebook, and I would really encourage many of those folks to maybe come to our meetings and learn some of the things that I’ve learned because it’s very enlightening. I think the Nav Center is doing a great job. It really is.

[00:03:41] Equitable Social Solutions Corporation is doing a great job. The Nav Center is a great thing. Staff has been doing a good job. I really appreciate staff. They’re very responsive to concerns that we bring up and they respond to crisis when they occur. And believe me, they do happen to occur.

[00:04:05] It would be helpful, I think, for the overall community to have a better level of understanding of what the Nav Center does. So I would invite them to come for the meetings. The meetings occur on the third Wednesday. Check the website because they’re not always at the same time. One month they’re on at 11 o’clock and the other two months they’re at 2:30 p.m.

[00:04:31] I would encourage the county commissioners to continue with the Nav Center and to continue working with a good organization, Equitable (Social Services), they’ve done a fine job.

[00:04:45] Presenter: Jared Hunter:

[00:04:46] Jared Hunter: Hello, my name is Jared Hunter. I’m the facilities manager at the ESS Navigation Center. We recognize that there’s been some recent feedback regarding our program. Much of the feedback appears to originate from individuals who may not be fully familiar with our organization, our operations, or our role within the community.

[00:05:11] We acknowledge that online discourse can sometimes include misinformation or misunderstandings about our residents, our services, and our mission. From the outset, we have prioritized transparency and open communication. We have hosted facility tours, invited neighbors to participate in community advisory committee meetings, developed a comprehensive website to share updates and gather feedback and distributed printed informational materials as well as regularly attended community meetings and established a good neighbor agreement in collaboration with county and city officials.

[00:05:53] Despite our attempts to dialogue and receive feedback, some members of the local community and local government have not yet taken advantage of these opportunities to connect with us.

[00:06:03] As we were unable to present our perspective prior to today’s decision, we wish to take this opportunity to share an overview of the work we’re doing. It’s important to clarify that our program is not responsible for addressing homelessness as a broader social issue, nor for individuals not enrolled in our program.

Our focus remains on supporting residents actively participating in our services. Those who are not part of our program are subject to the same laws and expectations as all community members. We understand the issues related to homelessness can be complex and sensitive and we are committed to being a part of the solution by providing support.

[00:06:48] We will also share some data that demonstrates the positive impact of our efforts. Our program operates with a strong emphasis on maintaining a safe, clean and peaceful environment for both residents and neighbors. To that end, we implement several daily practices to minimize our footprint and foster trust.

[00:07:10] To ensure a safe and welcoming environment, we have several daily practices in place. For instance, we observe quiet hours from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., during which outside speakers and music are not permitted.

[00:07:23] We also enforce a policy, meaning residents are not allowed to gather outside or invite nonresidents onto the premises. Additionally, we have a strict policy prohibiting illegal substances and paraphernalia on site.

[00:07:40] Beyond these policies we actively engage with the community through neighborhood cleanup efforts.

[00:07:45] Presenter: Keeley Crowson:

[00:07:47] Keeley Crowson: Hey everyone, my name is Keeley Crowson and I’m the project director of some of our shelters here in Lane County. And I just want to add on to what my co-workers have just said, that that 40 % is in people who have received services and have gotten further in life and have found stability, but more importantly to me: Those are people who are no longer using the law enforcement service and the emergency medical service as a one-stop shop to get everything.

[00:08:13] If we push 75 individuals back onto the street, that is going to burden an already overburdened system and right now that is not a really good thing to do, considering some of the circumstances that we are facing. So I just want to close it out really quickly.

[00:08:32] I want to speak directly to the concern that individuals have been seeing where they think we are inviting the problem into our community because they are seeing a rise in homelessness around some of the services that we offer.

Again, we are not an open center for individuals to get housing just immediately off the street, so visibility does not mean causation.

We want to be a part of the problem-solving conversation and less about the individuals who are bringing these people into the community.

[00:09:03] So I greatly appreciate your time that you’ve taken to listen to us speak today and urge you to consider more of what it would impact on our community if we did close our doors this coming summer. So I appreciate it.

[00:09:20] And again, I want to kind of reinstate that we serve the community, not just our residents. And we desperately do want to serve this commissioner board as well.

[00:09:30] I can absolutely empathize with the fatigue of the continuing conversations around, ‘Why is this happening, do something about it, fix this for us.’

[00:09:39] And I want to be a part of that conversation and I want to take some of those off your plate because if it’s one thing I understand it’s how to de-escalate an angry individual. It’s kind of my forte.

So I would like to support you in some of those conversations and continue towards the shared goal, because I do believe that our community and us have the same shared goals. We want the same things. They look a little different sometimes in conversations, but ultimately we want the same thing and want to help everybody support that goal so thank you.

[00:10:08] Presenter: Lane County commissioners and residents are invited to learn more about the Nav Center. Gary Wildish invites you to sit in on the Nav Center’s Community Advisory Committee, every third Wednesday.