Building on our 56-year heritage providing residential care to some of Oregon’s most vulnerable children and youth, Parrott Creek is working with local and national experts (including the University of Oregon and Harvard University) to re-envision the care, treatment and physical spaces provided to youth in residential settings. We are developing sector-leading, transformative, and culturally responsive approaches to residential treatment and we are placing ourselves at the heart of statewide efforts to meet the ever-changing needs of vulnerable children and families. In particular, we are responding to the growth in demand for mental health and drug-treatment services and programs that can reverse the disproportionate impact of behavioral health challenges on BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and other disadvantaged communities.
Trauma that the youth have endured prior to their stay with us include emotional, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, mental illness, domestic violence, drug use, an incarcerated parent or family breakup.
We have a successful track-record: over 90% of youth reported positive changes in their lives, a strong therapeutic relationship, and that treatment was helpful in achieving their goals.
If you’re inspired to learn more, please contact Robbie Leggett, Bright Futures Campaign Director at rleggett@pcreek.org or (971) 421-3042
Parrott Creek’s 80-acre property is located in rural Clackamas County, just outside the Metro region and within 30 minutes travel time to Portland. The property includes wetlands, creeks, meadows, and forest. The current 12,000 square feet of buildings are located on a 5 acre area at the northern edge of the property; preserving the majority of the land as a resource for nature therapy, environmental stewardship, and indigenous community access. The current buildings can serve up to 20 youth in treatment at any given time. Sadly, our ethos and our models of care have become increasingly at odds with the outdated design of the buildings themselves and, in fact, the vast majority of residential treatment infrastructure across Oregon are artifacts of a bygone era and are no longer fit for purpose.
Oregon is failing its youth: it ranks 2nd worst in the nation for drug related deaths, worst for needing but not receiving treatment and worst in the nation for youth 12 and older with illicit drug use disorders (source: Oregon Health Sciences University 2023). At a time when Oregon has a 49% gap in treatment capacity for kids (source: Oregon Health Authority), 15+ residential programs have closed since 2019, with a loss of 200+ beds. Sadly, in Oregon, black youth are 3.7 times more likely to be detained or committed to juvenile facilities and almost 46% of children under 18 who have contact with the justice or child welfare systems will experience homelessness before they are 26. Every day on our streets we see the impact of this decades-long lack of investment and vision.
We are building 25,000 square feet of new living, education, treatment, recreation and administrative space; doubling our capacity to care for up to 40 youth at any given time; and broadening our array of services so that we can meet the needs of children today and long into the future.
We are creating modern, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive buildings that use cutting-edge design to support the work we do with children and youth, allowing us to serve an increasingly diverse demographic and helping fill the huge gap in child and adolescent behavioral health services in Oregon.
Principles guiding our project design are: Let Kids Be Kids; Environmentally Sustainable; Practical & Cost Effective; Flexible, Adaptive & Resilient; Healing & Restorative.
(slide the arrows across the image below to view before and after)
Parrott Creek has engaged partners in the development, design, and construction industry to support our efforts to transform the campus and the work/outcomes of their residents. Design and engineering consultants were selected with a lens of equity, trauma-informed design, design excellence, and sustainability expertise. The team leaders are Adre, El Dorado Architects, and Walsh Construction.
Adre is a Black- women-owned real estate development company founded by Anyeley Hallová with the purpose of developing buildings that create social and economic benefits for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) through the creation of affordable homes, mixed-use developments, and facilities for mission-driven organizations. Adre developments seek to innovate in the real estate industry by creating pathways for wealth creation and financial stability for BIPOC communities and organizations; being a leader in diverse workforce participation from project conception to completion; and through sustainable building innovation.
El Dorado Architects El Dorado Architects is an integrated architecture, urban design, curatorial, education, and fabrication practice. El Dorado has made a name for themselves doing visionary work for nonprofits and mission-driven foundations in both planning and design. Elisandra Garcia is El Dorado’s Director of Engagement and a Design for Spatial Justice fellow at the University of Oregon. She is focused on urban violence and trauma-informed design and brings that body of research and experience to their practice.
Walsh Construction is a preeminent contractor in the Pacific Northwest, with vast experience on community-centered projects, affordable housing, sustainability, and target business outreach. They are a key team member to help Parrott Creek achieve the project goals. They have a history of engagement and expertise that will ensure that the residents and staff of Parrott Creek are seamlessly operating during the 14 month disruption on site to their operation.
Our Project Equity & Environmental Goals are:
Parrott Creek serves a diverse population and the expansion of our facilities will better address the disparities many youth experience on a daily basis. Currently 45% of youth we serve come from communities of color, compared to a statewide average of 15% of the population. To this aim, we have adopted the following goals:
- Youth Engagement – A robust, youth and community engagement process was led by University of Oregon Design-for-Spatial-Justice Fellow, Elisandra Garcia, partnered with the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and has ongoing youth involvement through construction.
- Equity-Centered Design – The buildings have been designed to be welcoming to youth who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color, and responsive to their families and communities. The buildings and campus will be accessible to those with varying abilities.
- Target Businesses Participation & Diversity – We have a goal to achieve 30% BIPOC- and Women-owned Business Participation in the design and construction of the buildings. To date, our team has achieved this goal and will continue to ensure we meet this through completion.
Environmental Sustainability Goals – Environmental sustainability and energy savings are crucial to our operational outlook, for the health of our youth and staff through an enhanced indoor environment, and as part of our commitment to combating climate change. The rural setting also makes land stewardship and extreme weather resilience critical components of the long-term financial and ethical sustainability of Parrott Creek.
- LEED Gold Certification – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification provides a framework for healthy, efficient, low-carbon and cost-saving green buildings, and is the most widely used rating system in the world. LEED certified buildings are proven to save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and create healthier places for people. We recently received a $1M federal grant to help make the campus Net-Zero for emissions through the installation of solar panels and battery storage.
- Indigenous Site Stewardship – Parrott Creek is located on the ancestral lands of the Chinook, Kalapuya, and Northern Molalla peoples. We believe that nature is healing, restorative, and that it cannot be owned. We are collaborating with indigenous and Tribal community partners, via our Cultural Ecology Project, to connect indigenous knowledge of the site’s environment and landscape, building a community hub and providing access to these community partners to embrace cultural practices (such as the cultivation of First Foods) that predate acquisition through colonization.
If you’re inspired to learn more, please contact Robbie:
Robbie Leggett
Bright Futures Campaign Director
rleggett@pcreek.org
(971) 421-3042
