Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley addressed the homeless in a town hall Saturday in Roseburg.

This comes after Governor Tina Kotek declared the homeless crisis an emergency weeks ago.

Senator Merkley was at Umpqua Community College where he spoke with the community about tackling the challenges of housing.

"Really, what we're trying to do is to get funding to the local area. To those who work with drug addiction, those who work with mental health. Because it is the local action on the ground by people who know the community, who have the partnership with volunteers to be able to really have an impact," said Merkley.

According to the Senator, homelessness is driven by three primary factors: drug addiction, mental illness, and economic stress.

All three of these, he is looking to tackle.