The City of Eugene is partnering with White Bird Clinic to provide a downtown location for primary care and behavioral health services to the unhoused.
The city leased this building on busy West 5th Avenue in 2019 with hopes of operating a day resource center.
Peter Chavannes is a homeless services policy analyst with the city. He said COVID-19 changed their plans.
“We had a lot of empty space just because you can’t have congregate settings during a pandemic,” he said. “We really felt like with this asset we wanted to get as much use out of it as we could.”
Enter White Bird Medical. The local non-profit needed a temporary home while they remodel their main clinic across town. Now here, they serve about 70 people a week. Many are new patients.
White Bird’s Al Ullman points across the street to the large tent encampment under the Washington-Jefferson bridge.
“The most exciting part about this building was its location and how close it is to so many people who need these kinds of services,” Ullman said. “So we’re really happy to be here.”
Chavannes said White Bird is an asset at this location.
“We know that folks experiencing homelessness are spread throughout the city. And transportation is challenging and so the more dispersed we can have assets-- the broader our reach.”
The temporary clinic is at 450 West 5th near the Whiteaker neighborhood where a many unhoused people live outside and need services.
Chavannes said the city pays the lease on the building. White Bird has requested to remain on the site until January.
