The number of vehicles impounded in the city of Eugene tripled from 2020 to 2022. Advocates for people experiencing homelessness say that cars, recreational vehicles, campers and other vehicles serving as makeshift homes make up a significant portion of what’s impounded. Many cannot afford to get their vehicles back and lose all their belongings and what little shelter they had, worsening their plight. Others may not have the title for their vehicle. Towing companies sometimes have to pay to get rid of the vehicles they’re stuck with, some of which contain hazardous materials that are expensive to dispose of. We talk with the Register Guard reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick who looked into these numbers and the broader policy implications.