Erin Reaney

Girl Scouts Maya Longoria, 9, and Rayna Safron, 10, distribute Girl Scout cookies outside the Lillis Business Complex at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., on March 29, 2026. (Erin Reaney/Emerald)

Springtime marks the beginning of many things coming: longer days, blooming flowers and most importantly to many, Girl Scout Cookies. Around the country, as millions ditch their winter coats, the Girl Scouts of the U.S. don green vests.

Many University of Oregon students have become accustomed to seeing the girls selling cookies around campus. However, Girl Scouts in Eugene have turned to more than selling cookies — advocating to city councilors for mental health services.

Recently, a group of four girl scouts from Troop 81624 attended a Eugene City Council meeting to speak about the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets program.

Troop 81624 Scout Greta Davis, accompanied by Hazel Ramos Parr, Rayna Safron and Maya Longoria, presented a speech to the council advocating for the return of CAHOOTS.

“We are here because we see homeless people on the streets and our troop wants to change that… they deserve good quality resources like we do,” Davis said.

CAHOOTS in Eugene ended its services in the city last spring following budget cuts and funding issues. It is an organization under the umbrella agency White Bird Clinic, which oversees other counseling and behavioral health programs, and the CAHOOTS crisis line.

CAHOOTS ran in Eugene for 36 years, handling urgent calls through the Eugene non-emergency line. The crisis help team provided medical care and mental health support for unhoused people.

Since its defunding last spring, CAHOOTS now operates only in Springfield.

CAHOOTS Program Coordinator Justin Madeira said that CAHOOTS disbanded from Eugene last spring due to a “budgeting mismatch.”

According to Madeira, changes to federal, state and city administrations caused the “perfect storm” of factors that led Eugene to be unable to afford CAHOOTS’ services in the city.

Some pilot projects have been proposed for addiction and mental health services in Eugene, including a peer-navigation model. The Mobile Crisis Services of Lane County works as an alternative line in Eugene to provide crisis support across the county, but Madeira said its support is less expansive and that it is a “reduction of services.”

The city of Eugene is currently reviewing the budget to allot more expenses into alternative projects similar to CAHOOTS in order to restore the crisis aid that was lost last spring. The budget is said to be finalized by late June of this year.

Members of the Eugene City Council did not respond to requests for comment.

In her speech advocating for CAHOOTS’ return, Greta Davis said “those who are suffering through houselessness need better care.”

She voiced her troop’s concern that the alternative crisis response programs in Eugene won’t bring the same amount of care as the old CAHOOTS system, and asked the city council to fully fund the CAHOOTS program again.

Davis also requested a new CAHOOTS that is “better than the old one,” the use of five vans instead of the previous two vans and access to the entire city.

“They don’t have help with their mental crises when they get hurt and when they are harassed with no place to be,” Davis said. “If we support unhoused people with their needs early on, we can avoid escalation.”

At just 9 and 10 years old, Longoria and Safron both went to the Eugene council meeting to advocate for the return of CAHOOTS. They appeared on UO campus shortly after, with wagons full of cookies.

“It’s really awesome what (CAHOOTS) is doing for the unhoused; they need good organizations,” Longoria said. She said that while they understand it’s a lot of money to fund it, it’s a worthwhile cause.

All four Girl Scouts at the meeting are working toward their Bronze Awards, which are given to scouts who are helping the community. Their speech at the meeting went toward those requirements, but to Safron and Longoria, it meant more than just the award.

“I just wanted to do something about it. It felt good to know that we could be helping people with bringing CAHOOTS back,” Safron said.

In addition to the CAHOOTS advocacy, the girls are also organizing and running a wound care kit drive at their elementary school. They are seeking donations of first-aid materials, which will be made into kits and donated to Black Thistle Street Aid, another organization helping unhoused populations.

Longoria said she’s hoping they can continue making a change for homeless people in Eugene.