For five moths, the unauthorized homeless campsite, Whoville has survived everything from snow, record low temperatures and an eviction notice from the City Council. Though its latest victory came in the form of an eviction extension through April 1 — with the construction of a third legal homeless campsite in the works to replace the transient settlement — it looks as if Whoville will officially shut its doors one month from today.
Whoville is a DIY homeless campsite that’s been on Broadway St. for the past five months. The city has deemed the site as an illegal campsite, and they’ve been working on clearing out the area for the last two months. The Council’s initial March 1 evacuation date for Whoville after an initial 30-day eviction notice was issued in early February has been extended one month following the proposal of a new homeless site.
At a Eugene City Council meeting on Wednesday night, City Manager Jon Ruiz proposed a third city authorized homeless shelter campsite be erected in order to replace Whoville. The Council voted yes on the proposal with a vote of 5-2. Though there’s no official date on when the new site will be up, the City Council is looking for Whoville to be closed down by April 1.
“They made the decision on Wednesday, and now we’re waiting to see when we should leave here and find a new place to stay,” said Whoville resident Nathan “Red” Showers. “The one problem with these sites from the city is that they only allow like fifteen or twenty people for each site.”
The two city-approved campsites only allow fifteen people per site, but there’s no word yet on what the capacity at the new site will be. According to Showers, Whoville currently has 30-40 occupants.
The new campsite will be located near the Chambers Street overpass and Northwest Expressway.