Hundreds rally after White Bird/CAHOOTS notifies city it will cut services; council says it did not initiate termination

Mayor Knudson told a packed April 14 Eugene City Council meeting that White Bird Clinic informed the city on March 25 that it would reduce CAHOOTS services and lay off staff, and that the city did not initiate the program's discontinuation. "The city of Eugene did not initiate the, the discontinuation of Kahoot's service within Eugene," the mayor said as the council opened a nearly three-hour public comment period dominated by appeals to restore the service.

Why it matters: CAHOOTS (a mobile crisis response program operated by White Bird Clinic) has been a visible part of Eugene’s nonpolice crisis response for decades. Speakers and councilors said the program’s abrupt reduction will leave a gap for unhoused residents and people in mental-health crisis, and will shift demand onto police, emergency medical services and county mobile crisis teams that speakers said are not full substitutes.

During a briefing before public comment, the mayor said the city and White Bird agreed to a mutual contract termination date aligned with White Bird’s April 7 staff layoff date and that the city is working to make Lane County Mobile Crisis Services (MCSLC) accessible to residents. "Mobile crisis response, mobile crisis services do still exist within the city of Eugene and through the provision, of Lane County's mobile crisis services," the mayor said, adding Eugene Springfield Fire will coordinate with the county during the transition.

Public comment: Staff announced "over 80 speakers" signed up, and dozens addressed the council. Speakers who identified themselves as CAHOOTS workers, health-care professionals, nonprofit leaders, firefighters, family members and people who had personally received CAHOOTS assistance described life‑saving interventions, long relationships of trust, and operational differences between CAHOOTS and county mobile crisis teams.

Examples from the record: - "Thousands of lives have been saved in this community by Kahoots," said Rebecca Hill, identified as an adult mental‑health peer support specialist. - A CAHOOTS worker said, "Last week, Cahoots saw almost 80% of its staff laid off by Whitebird," describing the layoff as recent and severe. - Ariel Myler, who manages a residential treatment program, told the council: "We use Kahoots every single day... Our clients require services that CAHOOTS provides that the Eugene, police enforcement cannot."

Council reaction and next steps: Councilors repeatedly expressed support for CAHOOTS as a model but described limits on the city’s immediate authority. Councilor Groves said the city "merely agreed with Kahoots to end the contract that they could no longer fulfill," and urged the community to continue engagement with city officials to stabilize White Bird and CAHOOTS. Councilor Yeh said she would press to understand options and asked staff to make information transparent so the public and councilors share the same facts.

Alternatives and gaps: Multiple speakers and at least one councilor noted that Lane County's mobile crisis service excludes some client groups and does not provide the same range of services (transportation, combined medical/substance‑use response, housing navigation) CAHOOTS provided. Researchers from the University of Oregon and the National Alliance to End Homelessness presented evidence that CAHOOTS‑style programs can reduce emergency and criminal‑justice interactions, but emphasized program features that differ from the county service.

What the council did: No final council action to fund or restore CAHOOTS was recorded on April 14. Councilors discussed the situation in public comments and asked staff for follow‑up; multiple speakers urged urgent, bridge funding and commitments that would restore CAHOOTS operations while longer‑term funding or management questions are resolved.

Ending note: The meeting closed after extended public comment and additional council discussion; councilors pledged to seek more information and to coordinate with county partners while many community members urged immediate funding to return CAHOOTS to full operation.