Local business owners plead for City support

EUGENE, Ore. — What happens when those trained to respond to crises disappear? In Downtown Eugene, the sudden loss of CAHOOTS, the city’s alternative crisis response program, has left small business owners facing emergencies with one less resource.

For the owners of Flex Studios, their business location has become a frontline for mental health emergencies, overdoses, and other traumatic encounters.

Now that CAHOOTS is no longer serving the community, Eugene residents are left wondering: When the system collapses, who steps in?

Co-owner Angela Dunham states, “People are watching. You’re human too. You’re doing the best you can in a position that you are not trained or qualified for.”

Inside a downtown dance studio filled with music, movement, and joy, a different kind of choreography has taken root: small business owners learning how to respond to public safety emergencies.

CAHOOTS stopped operating in Eugene on April 7 after White Bird’s budget deficit seemingly forced them to cut Cahoots hours and lay off staff. The City of Eugene and White Bird ended their contract after White Bird reduced Cahoots’ service from 24/7 to no service at all.

Co-owner Lindsey Shields says, “We’ve seen ups and downs, but in the current state, we feel like it can’t get much worse. The support we have is very limited, and CAHOOTS was a huge part of feeling like there was a little light at the end of the tunnel and understanding the level of mental health support that we need.”

Lindsey Shields and Angela Dunham, who have operated Flex Studios for over a decade, say they were once proud participants in the revitalization of Downtown Eugene.

The city helped them launch their business in 2008 as part of a broader effort to bring small businesses back to a struggling downtown. But lately, that excitement has faded into exhaustion.

In recent months, Dunham and Shields have responded to public overdoses, cleaned up human waste, removed used needles, and comforted young clients after witnessing a suicide.

Dunham says, “We operate at the base of one of the primary parking structures that people use to end their lives. On one occasion, we had a studio full of students and a lobby full of parents who witnessed this tragic experience. And so, we called upon CAHOOTS as a mental health resource for our students.”

Following that incident, everyone was locked in the studio for hours while police responded.

“CAHOOTS stayed with us for hours, did breath work and trauma response dialogue, helped with age-appropriate verbiage, and offered continued resources for families who had experienced something inexplicable,” adds Dunham.

Both owners testified at last week’s Eugene City Council meeting, urging leaders to fund CAHOOTS independently, even if White Bird Clinic is unable to support it. The city used to cover 40% of CAHOOTS’ operations and said they would be willing to continue that funding, but White Bird says they cannot commit the remaining 60%.

On April 7, CAHOOTS stopped operating in Eugene after White Bird’s $2.9 million budget deficit seemingly forced them to cut hours and lay off staff. The City of Eugene & White Bird ended their contract after White Bird reduced CAHOOTS’ 24/7 service to no service at all. The public outrage was immediate and overwhelming.

The City of Eugene funds 40% of CAHOOTS budget. White Bird currently cannot pay the other 60%. The Eugene FY 23-25 biennial budget amount for CAHOOTS equals to $1.5 million or 0.4% of the general fund and $250,000 or 0.5% of the Community Safety Payroll Tax.

The city currently faces, at minimum, an $11.5 million budget deficit. City Manager Sarah Medary will present a proposed budget to Eugene City Council members.

White Bird Clinic just replaced CAHOOTS’ webpage with a portal for community members to create a fundraiser to support CAHOOTS. The stated goal is $800,000.

At Eugene’s April 14 City Council Meeting, Shields said, “If the expectation of me as a small business owner is to pay taxes, talk down someone from jumping off our parking garage, and successfully distribute Narcan, then certainly my expectation for the city is to manage the allocated funds in a more productive and successful way.” She adds, “Thank you for your time. I look forward to seeing Cahoots as a staple of our city programs — where small business owners can thrive, humans can heal, and dance teachers can return to teaching dance.”

According to University of Oregon Data Researcher Nathan Burton, 17% of public safety calls are diverted to CAHOOTS workers.

We reached out to the City of Eugene and White Bird Clinic for an update on the status of CAHOOTS services in Eugene, but they were unavailable.

In the absence of CAHOOTS, residents can call Lane County’s Mobile Crisis Services daily from 2-11 p.m. They are hoping to expand to 24/7 service by June. Lane County responds to mental health emergencies, provides 72-hour follow-ups, and will administer Narcan.