The mobile crisis intervention group that serves Eugene-Springfield has expanded its service hours.
CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) is nearing its 31st year of operation. In that time, demand has increased for teams giving emergency mental and medical support to people in need, including many who are homeless.
Now through $280,000 in the latest budget for the City of Eugene, CAHOOTS is adding five service hours for its Eugene response team.
“That allows us to have two vans responding to calls at the same time from 10am to 10pm," says operations coordinator Tim Black.
"And we’ve seen a drastic reduction in how long calls are holding before CAHOOTS teams are able to respond.
"Our teams are able to breathe between calls instead of just running from one thing to the next.”
While CAHOOTS continues to expand its mental health and medical assistance services across the Eugene-Springfield area, its influence is extending well past the city.
Black says they continue to consult contacts in Vancouver (Washington), Denver, and San Francisco, on how a mobile crisis service can be implemented in their respective cities.
Black adds CAHOOTS and White Bird Clinic staff are also helping the City of Portland with its Street Response Pilot Project, as well as another initiative.
"The Hygiene for All project is a really awesome idea because what it’s doing, is it’s creating an overnight hygiene resource for unhoused folks," Black explains. "It’s going to be a bathroom that’s staffed by peers from 7pm to 7am, with handwashing, bathrooms, and a linen exchange as well as first aid supplies.”
CAHOOTS is credited for dealing with situations calling for mental health assistance, which frees up Eugene Police to deal with actual crimes.
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