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Public speakers urge restoration of CAHOOTS-style alternative response as city weighs budget restorations
Summary
Budget committee public comment repeatedly urged restoring an unarmed crisis response modeled on CAHOOTS, with speakers saying other county services cannot replace it and citing higher call volumes that Cahoots handled in Eugene.
Hundreds of residents and providers told the Eugene Budget Committee on May 21 that the city should restore funding for an unarmed, community-based crisis response modeled on CAHOOTS.
Speakers said the loss of the program has left a gap that other services do not fill. "MCS has shared that they're responding in person to an average of 8 calls per day throughout the entire county," former Cahoots field worker Elizabeth Mitchell told the committee. "The Cahoots average is 45 per day in just Eugene and Springfield. MCS is not a substitute for Cahoots." She added that Cahoots' flexibility and ability to do wound care, transport people to meals or urgent care, and wrap individual safety plans could not be replicated simply by relying on county crisis teams.
Why it matters: Public speakers and several committee members said restoring alternative response is a public-safety and cost-effectiveness priority. Multiple witnesses described the program as a frontline crisis stabilizer whose absence has increased pressure on 9-1-1 dispatchers, emergency medical services and police.
Testimony and context
Several former Cahoots staff and supporters described real-world consequences from the program's absence. Phoebe Thompson, who identified themself as a crisis worker, said staff and youth "were at a loss" when Cahoots reduced service, and urged the city to "find some way of bringing back Cahoots to our streets." Jack Bayer, who said they worked for Cahoots for five months, told the committee the change has increased stress and workload for 9-1-1 call takers and dispatchers.
Jacob True, a local resident active in advocacy for alternative response, said the committee's partial restorations so far fall short of what is needed to contract a community provider back onto the streets. He noted the committee's amended budget included some funding that could be used for an "alternative response position" but said the city must also budget contract dollars to operate a full service.
City staff and council response
During committee deliberations, city staff described two practical options: (1) use a modest placeholder to cover short-term street impacts while a new model organizes and seeks a fiscal sponsor, or (2) fund a full in‑house or contracted program at a higher cost. City Manager Sarah Maderi told the committee that a $500,000 one-time placeholder in the Fire & EMS budget would "allow some nimbleness on the street" while the city and community groups develop a longer-term procurement approach.
Councilor Matt Zelenka said staff had previously estimated a fuller restoration of a 36‑hour-per‑day alternative response shift would cost roughly $2.2 million (referencing prior Chief-level cost estimates discussed in packet materials).
Ending
Committee members and public speakers indicated they plan to return to the question next week, when motions will be due and the committee will formalize recommendations to the City Council. Several speakers asked that any new model pursue partial third-party billing and Medicaid-eligible reimbursement where feasible to reduce the city's net cost.
