CORE – Community Outreach through Radical Empowerment

“CORE is dedicated to supporting, empowering, and advocating for young people.”

These are our programs.

_{SOAP (Street Outreach Alliance Program) is a multifaceted, collaborative street outreach program. CORE partners with different agencies in the community to provide consistent and effective outreach to our neighbors living on the streets and in camps in the Eugene/Springfield area.}

_{Street Feed is a program that offers free hot meals and survival supplies every other Friday in Downtown Eugene. Street Feed exists to create safe space and access to resources for people between the ages of 16 and 24.}

_{Harm Reduction Distribution (HRD) is a low barrier program that creates access to harm reduction supplies as well as providing education around safer use and resource navigation in our community. HRD operates from a harm-reduction, empowerment, and strengths based model.}

The essential services CORE provides are made possible by individual donations and support from our generous community.

Make a donation today.

All donations made to CORE go directly towards providing low-barrier services for young people. We deeply appreciate your support. To learn more about how far your dollars can stretch at CORE, visit our Patreon.

Checks can be mailed to:

CORE
3003 W. 11th Ave. #277
Eugene, OR, 97402

Donations can also be made at any of the platforms listed below.

Venmo

Patreon

Cash App

These are the principles we use to guide our work.

Trauma-Informed Care

Trauma–informed care (TIC) is defined as practices that promote a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing. TIC also recognizes that trauma can happen to people in a variety of ways; domestic violence, being in the life, trafficking, exploitation, abuse/neglect, gang violence, police murder/violence, racism, homophobia, sexism, ageism, poverty, transpohbia, systematic oppression/racism, etc.

In addition to this, TIC recognizes that service providers, social workers and nonprofit organizations can cause trauma and retraumatize people who access services. At CORE, trauma informed Care looks like asking the question “What happened to this person?” versus “What’s wrong with them?”, creating spaces that are trauma informed, and not retraumatizing young people. We acknowledge that CORE exists due to failures of the system, not the individual.

Low-Barrier Services

Low-barrier services are programs that have minimal conditions-to-entry, while maintaining clear and simple behavioral expectations that apply to anyone accessing the program. At CORE we focus on trying to meet-people-where-they-are-at as opposed to creating rigid program structure for people to try and fit into. Our programs have age restrictions to maintain safe and developmentally-appropriate environments, and we strive to make each program as accepting, welcoming, and inclusive as possible without jeopardizing the safety or autonomy of others.

Harm-Reduction

Harm-reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use and other stigmatized behaviors. Harm Reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs or participate in stigmatized behaviors (sex work, etc.). Harm Reduction at CORE looks like meeting people where they are at, and providing resources to reduce harm. At CORE, we believe young people are the experts in their own lives.

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“We’re trying to meet people where they are at and identify their goals,” Weil said. “And if we can be of assistance and helping them achieve those goals, then we try to figure that out.”
“We want to put them in the driver’s seat,” said Raine.