One of the reasons the homeless flock to Eugene is our reputation nationwide as a mecca for the homeless.  It's almost getting as bad as Portland, and that's pretty bad.  I lived there for 10 years, I know.  We hand out money to them on street corners here constantly.  I've even seen people who don't live in Eugene comment about it on the internet. Eugene residents are usually very friendly and giving, which is commendable.  But we need to know who to give to, or where to give to.  Many of the homeless who live here aren't even from Eugene.  They're drifters who find an easy dollar here. And then there are the legitimate homeless, the ones who became homeless because of situations beyond their control. Those are the ones we need to help somehow (insert amazing solution here).  The others who harass innocent people downtown need to be corralled and dealt with. And not by building another jail. Find out where they came from and send them back there. That's just my two bits anyways.