A victim advocate will guide a child and their family member/s through each step of their visit at Kids FIRST. They will also provide referrals and answer questions families have.
A child-friendly interview conducted by a trained forensic interview specialist. Interviews are recorded to help reduce the number of times a child has to tell their story.
It may be appropriate for a child to be examined by a specially trained physician. The physician determines the child's medical and emotional needs, and gathers evidence.
mental health
Kids FIRST is in the process of structuring and implementing a mental health program at its new center. We are thrilled to request the support of the community at this time for funding this project.
To date, we have received financial support from the following agencies:
Windermere Real Estate
mental health
Kids FIRST is in the process of structuring and implementing a mental health program at its new center. We are thrilled to request the support of the community at this time for funding this project.
To date, we have received financial support from the following agencies:
Windermere Real Estate
mental health
Kids FIRST is in the process of structuring and implementing a mental health program at its new center. We are thrilled to request the support of the community at this time for funding this project.
To date, we have received financial support from the following agencies:
Windermere Real Estate
English
Kids FIRST Notice of Privacy Practices
Minor Rights in Oregon
English
Kids FIRST Notice of Privacy Practices
Minor Rights in Oregon
If a child's case is accepted for review at the District Attorney's Office, Kids FIRST hosts grand jury on-site for the child and their family in a safe and familiar setting.
Mental health is a new program coming to Kids FIRST in 2021! Our goal is to reduce wait times for children that will benefit from specialized trauma informed therapy.
As the regional provider for northwest Oregon, Kids FIRST is eager to offer support and peer review to neighboring CACs and community partners.
HIPPA Policies
HIPAA Policies
Kids FIRST 2026 Capital Campaign
Expanding access to healing so no child waits for the care they deserve
Healing needs space.
When Kids FIRST added mental health programming to its collection of intervention services in 2022, the need for the program quickly outgrew our capacity.
Children often require additional and urgent mental health support after experiencing something as life altering as abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. And while our three therapists and therapy intern are providing significant support and helping children find hope again, there's more to do.
The barrier in the way: space.
Join Kids FIRST this spring as we take on a
$1 million capital campaign to expand into a recently purchased space just across the street from our current 18th Avenue location in Eugene. The goal: to grow our mental health services, help drive down waitlists, and provide more evidence-based care to children who deserve to feel hope again.
Already know you want to take part?
Whether your gift is $50 or $50,000, every dollar counts toward helping children heal sooner.
What's the Project?
This Capital Project will support the renovation of a recently acquired building located directly across the street from our current facility, but the building itself requires a significant amount of renovation to bring the space up to code and to create a warm, inviting environment for children and families. The former duplex is 1,949 square feet and was built in 1950.
The building sits at the corner of 18th & High Street in Eugene.
The renovation will include:
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Child-centered therapy spaces, including room for group services
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Three therapy treatment rooms
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Staff and intern offices
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Outdoor landscaping updates to create a calm & inviting entrance
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Updated electrical and HVAC systems
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ADA compliance updates
Tap to expand
What's the Expected Impact?
During the most recent quarter of therapy services, children in treatment report an average 37% reduction in PTSD-related symptoms, including flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Clients are re-screened about every four weeks to monitor progress and adjust treatment as needed.
Dedicated therapy space will strengthen our ability to provide consistent, high-quality treatment, offer additional therapeutic services, and achieve similar outcomes for more children.
This past fiscal year, our therapy team provided 583 therapy sessions for children who screened into our therapy program. With appropriate, dedicated treatment space, we anticipate an increase in therapy session availability and improved scheduling flexibility. The therapy program currently operates with a waitlist. One of the primary goals of this capital project is to reduce—and ultimately eliminate—delays in access to care by removing physical space as a barrier to service delivery.
A dedicated therapy building would allow Kids FIRST to:
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Create child-centered therapy spaces, including room for group services
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Fully utilize current clinical staff and increase therapy internship capacity
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Strengthen confidentiality and therapeutic consistency
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Re-allocate space in our main building to support core intervention services
"Compassionate loving space for my child to feel safe and heard."
- Caregiver of a Kids FIRST client
Budget & Timeline
Our immediate milestone is to reach $500,000 by April 17, 2026. Achieving this benchmark is critical, because it positions Kids FIRST to unlock significant foundation funding and accelerate progress toward our end goal of $1 million.
As of February 1, 2026, Kids FIRST has secured more than $170,000 toward our goal from early contributions of key stakeholders and a committed Kids FIRST board and staff.
If Kids FIRST reaches $500,000 by the end of April 2026, we anticipate breaking ground in May
or June 2026. Should additional time be needed to reach this milestone, we will continue
building community support through the summer and fall, followed by expanded foundation
requests in late 2026. Under this timeline, construction would begin by Spring 2027.
In either scenario, Kids FIRST is committed to completing this project thoughtfully and
responsibly, ensuring strong community investment and long-term sustainability.