White Bird Clinic plans to shut down its Front Rooms department in Eugene next month, and lay off the staff members working there.
Front Rooms is a walk-in service that provides food, supplies, and social support for the local homeless community. It also processes mail for those without addresses, helps clients replace lost IDs, and offers vouchers for eyeglasses.
Services are available seven days a week, and staff there estimate they see around 100 people daily. White Bird’s Volunteer Coordinator Georgia Quinn said the majority of the clients visit almost every day.
“I'll give you a hug. I'll give you a sandwich. I'll try and make a call and see if there's a bed for you to sleep in at emergency housing,” said Quinn. “And if not, I'll sit with you, and I will listen to how that is so hard for you.”
Front Rooms has been part of White Bird since its inception over five decades ago, according to Jeremy Gates, the nonprofit’s Executive Director. However, he said leadership has now decided to dissolve the department on Dec. 13.
Gates, who said the decision was “difficult,” said it comes as White Bird is facing budget cuts in the new year. He said the nonprofit is losing a stream of funding from PacificSource, which comprises over a fifth of its revenue.
Meanwhile, Gates said Front Rooms has had a budget of over $950,000. He said it’s difficult to get outside funding for that department, because its services are not government-mandated like some other White Bird programs.
When Front Rooms closes, Gates said all the services provided there will continue elsewhere in the organization. White Bird plans to keep its eyeglass vouchers and mailing services at the same location.
“We might have to work with our clients for a little bit of a re-education of how we handle services going forward,” said Gates. “But in general, we feel that will allow the greatest opportunity to continue services and navigate this unfortunate funding loss.”
Gates said in the future, White Bird’s funding may be further impacted by potential changes to Medicare and Medicaid that have been suggested by the incoming Trump administration.
“We're still quite concerned about what funding sources will look like in the next two to three years,” said Gates. “We know there will be other cuts coming. We just don't know exactly when or exactly how.”
Staff Concerns
Jeremiah Perry-Weed, the Office Coordinator at Front Rooms, said the announcement of the impending closure came as a huge surprise earlier this month.
“There's so many employees here who have such deep connections with our clients, so much trust that has been built,” said Perry-Weed. “We're just going to get rid of that and then replace us? It seems very senseless to me.”
Perry-Weed said he’s worried that White Bird won't be able to quickly recreate its current mailing services, which he said staff typically spend multiple months training for.
He said some clients rely on the mail for disability and social security checks, and if those bounce back to the sender just once, it could freeze a person’s benefits for an extended period of time.
“I just don't think two weeks is enough time for them to recreate our program from scratch, fill it with entirely new hires, and expect to run that mail service,” said Perry-Weed. “It's really dangerous, right in the middle of winter, to be playing with people's mail like this.”
Executive Director Gates said he doesn’t anticipate any issues sorting the mail, and there are staff who will remain at White Bird who have experience with these services.
Quinn, the Volunteer Coordinator, said she also has concerns about clients during the transition. She said there are people who can’t use other social services, because they’re banned due to past outbursts.
“We call ourselves ‘the safety net of the safety net,’” said Quinn. “We try our best to de-escalate anyone in any situation, to bring them down to a calm level, and to get them services.”
Additionally, Quinn said some other support services may need information from clients they’re unwilling to give, such as their real names or the disclosure of a substance abuse disorder.
“When you come to Front Rooms, you don't have to give any kind of identifying information, which for these vulnerable clients, means a lot,” said Quinn. “They live through a lot, and they are very anxious.”
Quinn said she’s worried the closure will put added stress on the other departments at White Bird, which are already facing significant workloads.
“There are too many clients for us to provide for even while Front Rooms is open,” she said.
Layoffs
Front Rooms currently has nine dedicated staff members who are now losing their jobs. Perry-Weed said these workers already receive low wages, leaving them with little savings.
"We're not in a good position as workers to bounce back from this,” said Perry-Weed. “Many of us are very housing insecure. There are people that are on our staff who are literally at risk of becoming unhoused if this happens.”
Perry-Weed said he’s seen no help from leadership ahead of the layoff so far. Gates said there will be resources to help staff find new jobs in the workers’ severance agreement, which is not yet finalized.
On Monday, White Bird posted two new job listings—a new Office Services Assistant and a new Safety Monitor.
