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Residents, staff urge restoration or replacement of Cahoots mobile crisis service as city weighs cuts
Summary
Dozens of residents told the Eugene Budget Committee the city should preserve or replace Cahoots — the long-running mobile crisis and community response program — as staff outlined alternative-response programs and the county expands mobile crisis coverage.
Dozens of Eugene residents urged the Budget Committee on May 14 to preserve funding for Cahoots, the mobile crisis and community-response program, as city staff described an expanding mix of alternative-response units and uncertainty about who will provide some crisis services in coming months.
Speakers said Cahoots diverts calls from police, emergency rooms and ambulances and saves money and lives; staff from the city’s fire and police departments described a patchwork of mobile medical, county-run crisis teams and new local pilot programs that have stepped in since White Bird/Cahoots reduced or ended its contract earlier this spring.
The appeals came during a 90-minute public-comment period that drew 34 registered speakers, many of them former Cahoots staff, medical providers and community organizations. “Cahoots is an essential life‑saving service,” said Ryder Hales, a Ward 1 resident. “We can set an example for the nation one way or another.”
Why it matters: Cahoots historically handled mental‑health and low‑acuity medical calls that otherwise required more expensive police,…
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