With the homeless crisis always a hotly discussed topic across the Western U.S., lawmakers and residents are looking for ways to find the financial resources to help reduce the crisis. In Oregon, the Mayor of Wood Village is pushing for the idea of opening a casino in the city. He proposes would provide additional tax revenue that could be used to help fight the problem.

The city has twice tried to get a referendum passed to approve the Wood Village Casino project. That happened in both 2010 and 2012 when two businessmen sought to open gain approval for the facility but residents voted it down each time. However, Mayor T. Scott Harden believes that things will be different this time:

“The new major beneficiary of the dollars will be our homelessness efforts. I think in a lot of people’s minds this would get them to think. It might be the tipping point for a lot of voters.”

Bruce Studer and Matt Rossman are leading the initiative. They filed a pair of ballot proposals on January 30 with the Oregon Secretary of State. This would open the door for the design and construction of a casino and entertainment center that would be located in Wood Village. The city is located just east of Portland.