City Club of Eugene

Join us in person or online, this Friday September 12 at noon! We are honored to be guests for this week’s City Club, discussing the return of CAHOOTS -like services to Eugene. We’ll be at the WOW hall live, join us in-person or online. Streaming link is on the City Club website.

From City Club of Eugene's website:

Topic:

CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) is a nationally recognized mobile crisis response program founded through a long-standing partnership between the City of Eugene and White Bird Clinic. For decades, CAHOOTS provided compassionate, non-police crisis intervention in Eugene, serving as a trusted community resource and inspiring similar models across the country. Nevertheless, recent changes have left many residents concerned about the program’s future. In April, White Bird Clinic reduced CAHOOTS’ service hours, citing a lack of financial capacity to sustain full operations. Shortly after, the City of Eugene and White Bird ended their contract. Community members in need of crisis assistance were directed to Mobile Crisis Services of Lane County (MCS-LC).

The service shift raised widespread concern. In response, Friends of CAHOOTS, a grassroots coalition, organized to advocate for the program’s return. Supporters filled Eugene City Council meetings throughout their 2025-2027 budget deliberations, urging officials to restore CAHOOTS. In June, the City Council allocated funding and directed the City Manager to prepare a proposal to restore mobile crisis services, which is expected to be presented in October.

Meanwhile, a group of former CAHOOTS employees have established a new nonprofit, Willamette Valley Crisis Care, with the goal of continuing the program’s mission and preparing to respond to an upcoming City request for proposals.

At the September 12 City Club of Eugene program, Friends of CAHOOTS and Willamette Valley Crisis Care will share updates on their efforts and discuss the path forward for restoring mobile crisis services that have long been a lifeline for the Eugene community.

Speakers

Name: Alese "Dandy" Colehour, OMHA, NREMT

Organization: Willamette Valley Crisis Care

Biography:

Alese “Dandy” Colehour, MSW Candidate, QMHA, NREMT (they/them). Dandy is a transplant from Minnesota, moving to Oregon to attend graduate school at University of Oregon in 2010. In 2015, they dropped out of their PhD program in Anthropology to pursue a profession that was more community-oriented. They started working for CAHOOTS in 2016 as a crisis counselor and cross-trained as an EMT in 2021. They love direct service work but since the closure of CAHOOTS in Eugene have been assisting WVCC with media, administration and grant writing. An aspiring medical social worker, they anticipate graduating from Portland State University in June of 2026 with a Master of Social Work after completing their advanced practicum at PeaceHealth RiverBend. When they aren’t busy working on WVCC, they enjoy playing washtub bass with their band, an annual summit up a mountain, and homesteading on a small organic seed farm.

Name: Laurel Lisovskis LCSW

Organization: Willamette Valley Crisis Care

Biography: Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading

Laurel Lisovskis, LCSW (she/her), moved from Minneapolis in 1998 to make the Willamette Valley her home. She’s been here ever since, working and raising her daughter Hannah, now grown and living in LA. Having gotten her BSW in 1997, she’s always been involved in community work and has built deep roots both in the public education system and in public safety. Laurel is a direct service worker at heart, working with folks in crisis and specializing in those who have experienced institutional harm and trauma. She also enjoys teaching and training others in the important skills of working with people, especially those impacted by burdened and ineffective systems. Most days, Laurel can be found hiking Spencer’s Butte, talking on the phone to Hannah and listening to her share about her LA adventures.

Name: Jacob Trewe

Title: Founder

Organization: Friends of CAHOOTS

Biography: Biographies are provided by the panelists and edited for length/proofreading

Jacob Trewe is a founder of Friends of CAHOOTS, a non-profit grassroots organization started to support alternative response workers after the loss of CAHOOTS service in Eugene in April 2025. He grew up in Alaska and rural Oregon, but has roots in Eugene, having graduated from North Eugene High School and the University of Oregon with a degree in accounting. He spent several years in DC working as an accountant for the Federal Treasury Department and Federal Housing Finance Agency Offices of Inspectors General. He is married, with two children who attend 4J schools. He runs a small tax and forensic accounting firm and serves on several boards, including WVCC, Growers Market, and Toolbox project.