Thanks! It's looking more like we're going to need a restructure of a lot of services for the unhoused in the fall. The feds are pulling a bunch of money.
Thanks for the info on the closure of CAHOOTS, I have been very concerned ever since I heard the news. I so hope such a well integrated program can be resurrected before the need gets even worse and people in need fall through the cracks
I value your perspectives on local concerns (such as CAHOOTS, fire safety, healthcare, anything having to do with local folks who suffer from systems poorly equipped to meet the moment). As a Springfield resident and part of the Eugene-Springfield Metro mix, I appreciate seeing how my tax dollars make (or can make) a positive difference locally.
If anyone is considering setting up a program like this in your city, it's important to know who benefitted and who didn't from this service. Police benefit because they can pawn off disturbance calls to Cahoots rather than come out and deal with an obnoxious drug addict partying in a local park. The drug addicts benefit because they get catered to. Instead of a copy showing up and kicking them out of a part that closed at 11 pm or midnight, they get to continue to disturb the peace by screaming and partying for hours more,
Which leads me to the people who suffers under these programs. Anyone who lives near a park and has to deal with meth addicts who like to stay up all night being disruptive and keeping your children from sleeping will suffer. You can call the police at midnight but they just assign it to Cahoots, which usually has a 3-8 hour backlog. In a city like Eugene, OR, there is a multitude of drug users. Eugene does drug enabling, which draws drug users from other cities and states. When you call the police again at 1 am, 2 am, 3 am etc, the police repeatedly blow you off. They don't have to respond because they "addressed the problem" by referring it to the Cahoots service that literally has NO time restrictions. Their job is to help the drug users, not the public. The meth heads can continue screaming and fighting into the night.
I recommend no other community waste their money on a service like this. Drug users should be arrested, not catered to.
Marty, great to see you writing. We need your natural leadership.
Thanks! It's looking more like we're going to need a restructure of a lot of services for the unhoused in the fall. The feds are pulling a bunch of money.
I'd like tips on what to pay attention to locally and nationally.
Thanks for the info on the closure of CAHOOTS, I have been very concerned ever since I heard the news. I so hope such a well integrated program can be resurrected before the need gets even worse and people in need fall through the cracks
I value your perspectives on local concerns (such as CAHOOTS, fire safety, healthcare, anything having to do with local folks who suffer from systems poorly equipped to meet the moment). As a Springfield resident and part of the Eugene-Springfield Metro mix, I appreciate seeing how my tax dollars make (or can make) a positive difference locally.
If anyone is considering setting up a program like this in your city, it's important to know who benefitted and who didn't from this service. Police benefit because they can pawn off disturbance calls to Cahoots rather than come out and deal with an obnoxious drug addict partying in a local park. The drug addicts benefit because they get catered to. Instead of a copy showing up and kicking them out of a part that closed at 11 pm or midnight, they get to continue to disturb the peace by screaming and partying for hours more,
Which leads me to the people who suffers under these programs. Anyone who lives near a park and has to deal with meth addicts who like to stay up all night being disruptive and keeping your children from sleeping will suffer. You can call the police at midnight but they just assign it to Cahoots, which usually has a 3-8 hour backlog. In a city like Eugene, OR, there is a multitude of drug users. Eugene does drug enabling, which draws drug users from other cities and states. When you call the police again at 1 am, 2 am, 3 am etc, the police repeatedly blow you off. They don't have to respond because they "addressed the problem" by referring it to the Cahoots service that literally has NO time restrictions. Their job is to help the drug users, not the public. The meth heads can continue screaming and fighting into the night.
I recommend no other community waste their money on a service like this. Drug users should be arrested, not catered to.