Girlfriend Andrea Allison is a liaison with Impact Partner CARES Northwest. Following is her report from her February site visit.

CARES Northwest expressed their gratitude for ninety-nine girlfriends and the Impact Awards they have received that helped them expand their services to Beaverton. Right now, they have a one-person office there that staff use to see clients. It is only large enough to see one child at a time versus four children here in Portland. They are in the process of building a 10,000-square-foot facility in the Hillsboro/Cornell area, tripling the size of their current space, which will open in January 2026. Next month they will be working on the design!
CARES Northwest is accredited and uses evidence-based practice for child abuse intervention. They not only evaluate children but also treat them with a staff of therapists, physicians, and case managers as well as outside contractors. They are working hard to dig out from under the COVID lockdown. The cases they are now seeing are increasingly severe and complex with more no-shows, increased trauma, and instability that further impacts the children. The court system is backed up for two years! The staff had hoped it all would return to a normal level, but it has not happened. It takes a toll on the staff, and they are working on self-care and focusing on successes and resiliency to not burn themselves out. They have continued success though. They were working with Legacy Hospital and the State of Oregon to bill health insurance for mental health services and that has now become a reality!