Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Val Hoyle were in Cottage Grove Tuesday to talk about the benefits of federal grants in rural areas, highlighting a facility that helps young people who experience homelessness or are at risk of becoming unhoused.
The two Oregon Democrats stopped by Looking Glass Community Services’ new location on Whiteaker Avenue. The nonprofit's Rural Program helps people ages 11-21 with basic needs like food and clothing, housing, employment and addiction assistance.
The new facility required renovations costing roughly $400,000. Of that, $195,000 was covered by a grant from the federal Administration for Children and Families’ Family and Youth Services Bureau.
Wyden said he thinks Looking Glass’ work can stand as an example for what federal dollars can do.
“The Senate is an overwhelmingly rural institution," he said. "And a lot of those senators are going to go home when they hear about this program, and they’re going to say, ‘this is the kind of thing we should be working on for our community."
Hoyle said she struggled with dyslexia through her teenage years. And if not for the assistance she received, she said she likely would have dropped out of high school.
"But because of programs that helped me, whether it was a resource room or other supports, it helped me graduate high school, get into college, which brought me here, a career in international trade and now in Congress," she said.
The new facility opened in January, and has been well-received, according to Looking Glass’ President and CEO Chad Westphal.
“For every dollar that you put into a young person’s life in a healthy way: treatment and safe spaces, that saves so much money down the road," Westphal said. "And I think that Cottage Grove and surrounding rural communities understand that.
The new facility is roughly four times the size of the previous facility, and includes a kitchen, laundry facilities, access to computers, books and games, clinical space and more.
