March 2026
Schematic Design Focus Groups

The Lane Stabilization Center project team partnered with the project architecture firm, TVA Architects, to host five community focus groups for feedback concerning the design considerations for the new facility. The intent of these focus groups was to ensure the Lane Stabilization Center is responsive to community needs, aligned with clinical and operational best practices, and integrated appropriately within its physical and social context. Focus Groups were divided by category of expertise, including healthcare and social services, law enforcement and first responders, adults with lived experience and youth with lived experience.

A key priority for the Lane Stabilization Center project is to invite and elevate community voice at every phase of the work, so that this program and the services provided are responsive to our specific community need and are reflective of our local culture.

The primary goals of the focus group engagement were to:

• Gather qualitative, experience-based insights that inform spatial planning, adjacencies, operational flows, safety, and dignity of care.
  
  
• Understand the unique needs, concerns, and priorities of diverse stakeholder groups, including those with lived experience.
  
  
• Identify opportunities and constraints related to location, access, coordination of services, and community integration.
  
  
• Build shared understanding and trust among stakeholders by transparently incorporating feedback into the design process.
  
  
• Validate that schematic design concepts consider stakeholder input before advancing design decisions. 

30 community members participated across five focus groups in March, and they will return for a second session in May to verify their feedback and ensure that there is clarity about what was incorporated into the design. A few highlights from what was shared include:

• Initial point of contact must be calm, welcoming, and affirming.
  
  
• Design must feel healing, not institutional

• Prioritize Sensory rooms
  
  
• On-site support for belongings, pets, and vehicles
  
  
• Warm, colorful, and youth-centered design is essential
  
  
• Cultural inclusivity must be visible and intentional

• Security features should be discreet, visible but not intimidating

• A connection to nature connection is deeply important
  
  
• Joy and engagement should be part of the environment
  
  
• Lighting must be carefully designed
  
  
• Choice and agency must be prioritized wherever possible

August 2025
Stabilization Center Community Survey Results In Action

In 2023, over 500 community members participated in a survey to help inform the Lane Stabilization Center project team about local priorities for how this facility might look and function. Implementation of the recommendations gathered from these survey results has been moving steadily forward since then, in alignment with the overall project timeline.

The project team is excited to share a recent outcome driven by these survey responses! Those who completed the survey communicated a priority of identifying how to best serve individuals navigating a behavioral health crisis who are also accompanied by an animal. We convened a workgroup to research and discuss the best strategies to address these needs and have produced a summary of recommendations. These recommendations have been presented to the Lane Stabilization Center project architects and future operators for consideration.

2025 Recommendations for accommodating animals at the Lane Stabilization Center.pdf

August 2024
Listening Sessions with Connections Health Solutions >> RECAP

• 15th Night Youth Action Council
  
  
• Community Outreach through Radical Empowerment [CORE]
  
  
• Connected Lane
  
  
• Hosea Youth Services
  
  
• Lane County Behavioral Health Consumer Advisory Committee
  
  
• Lane Independent Living Alliance [LILA]
  
  
• the Lived Experience Advisory Group for Unhoused Engagement [LEAGUE]
  
  
• Looking Glass
  
  
• ShelterCare
  
  
• St. Vincent de Paul
  
  
• White Bird
  
  
• Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program [YHDP]

• Include client advocates.
  
  
• Provide client storage options to prevent the loss of personal belongings, which often deters people from seeking help.
  
  
• Access to a smoking area and accommodations for clients’ pets will be key to reducing access barriers.
  
  
• Establish and promote a clear grievance process that is accessible and transparent
  
  
• Assess for how Traumatic Brain Injuries and Developmental Disabilities may contribute to a client’s needs.
  
  
• Include daily activities and a structured schedule for clients who are admitted to the program,
  
  
• Ensure that the program can accommodate individuals with concerns related to substance use in addition to mental health
  
  
• Consider the unique needs of individuals navigating domestic violence situations, as they are falling through the cracks in our current system.
  
  
• Consider community outreach specifically to the BIPOC community, with translation services onsite.
  
  
• Collaborate with Connected Lane County to potentially offer supplemental services like classes, case management or transportation.
  
  
• Partner with RideSource for additional transportation support
  
  
• Offer adult-skills classes or connect individuals with local resources to teach things like car repair or filing taxes.
  
  
• Include views of the outside.
  
  
• Use alternative lighting such as sun lamps.
  
  
• Consider building a secondary entrance for direct access to quieter spaces, so clients aren’t required to navigate through the lobby and more stimulating areas.
  
  
• Include a day room for unhoused folks to spend time and be safe without actively receiving mental health treatment.
  
  
• Provide telehealth services, especially for individuals who cannot access the facility due to disabilities
  
  
• Include a small dog park or identified access to an existing one to encourage interaction and reduce negative behavior in clients’ pet dogs.

Stabilization Center Community Survey Results

• 547 total responses

• 373 people with lived experience navigating the behavioral system, houselessness or legal involvement
  
  
• 45 identify as a member of a systemically marginalized* community based on race or ethnicity
  
  
• 85 identify as a member of a systemically marginalized* community based on gender identity and/or sexual orientation

All data collected via the Community Survey is available to the public. If you would like to access the raw data generated by this service, please complete a Public Records Request. Please note that survey summaries were developed through aggregate analysis and survey participants' comments are intended to be interpreted in context of the broader narrative.

Listening Session Feedback

Summary

• Include designated space separation to accommodate different types and levels of need
• Avoid overly clinical appearance, emphasizing warmth and comfort
• Consider basic needs, such as food, shower, storage, smoking, animal companions
• Promote client and staff safety

3/2: Community Impact
Summary

• Establish intentional processes for warm hand-offs with other agencies and community partners 
  
• Timely access to services is needed, for all of Lane County
• Provide Trauma Informed Services
• Project and planning team ought to consult with community members doing the work
• Prioritize efforts to collaborate with existing resources and avoid duplication

View All Collected Feedback Here


3/8: Programming

Summary

• Well-trained and well-compensated staff, who understand how to meet the needs of individuals with multiple needs
• Separate points of entry and intake for individuals entering with different needs
• Consider social determinants of health beyond just behavioral health treatment
• Provide thorough discharge with scheduled appointments, coordination with other providers, and transportation as needed

Stabilization Center Listening Sessions: We want to hear from you!

Stabilization Center Listening Sessions: We want to hear from you! To provide adequate time for attendees to share feedback, the three in-person Listening Sessions have been capped at 50 participants. Please consider registering for the Round Up Listening Session on March 23, which will be held virtually and will provide additional space for general feedback on the project.

REGISTER HERE

For those unable to attend in-person, feedback surveys specific to each Listening Session are available below.