NEWS
B Y TAY LO R P E R S E
ELAINE WALTER INTRODUCES VISITORS TO
THE TRAUMA HEALING PROJECT'S NEW DIGS
FROM DEATH
TO LIFE
A downtown mortuary building
becomes a healing center
N
ew life is invigorating a former mortuary in
downtown Eugene as the Trauma Healing Proj-
ect transforms once dark, windowless rooms into
vibrant spaces for activities that promote healing
and recovery.
The former casket display room is becoming an acu-
puncture lounge. The old embalming room will serve as a
staff kitchen and meeting room.
The Trauma Healing Project, a nonprofit organization
that provides alternative solutions to survivors of trauma,
is moving into the former mortuary at 11th Avenue and
Charnelton Street because its previous landlord, Lane
County Behavioral Health, needed its space back.
The Trauma Healing Project was established 14 years
ago to respond to the unmet needs of trauma survivors in
the community, says Elaine Walter, its executive director.
They accomplish this by providing wellness classes, medi-
tation and acupuncture clinics.
“We wanted to create something that wouldn’t require
people to be involved in the mental health system and
wouldn’t give people a diagnosis or a label,” she says.
The mortuary building has been around since the early
1900s and was originally a convent associated with St.
Mary’s Catholic Church. Most recently, it was occupied
by the Poole-Larsen Funeral Home, but has been sitting
empty for a number of years.
The owners eventually want to turn the property into
apartments, meaning the Trauma Healing Project will have
to move again.
“It’s a temporary place for us. It’s a rent rate we can
manage in comparison to the growing market rate,” Wal-
ters says.
Walters says the organization has been allowed to do
some inside remodeling to suit its needs and clear the rem-
nants of the former funeral home. The alluring history of
the building has provided interesting experiences in the
renovation process.
“We discovered windows and doors that have been pan-
eled over,” Walters says. She gestures to a door that ap-
pears on one side of wall but not the other because another
wall had been plastered over the entrance.
Each room will be transformed — from a place of sad-
ness to one of healing. The main entrance is tall and open,
and the outside wall features some of the few windows
in the building. The blurred glass allows natural light to
stream through and lightens up the newly painted bright
green and white walls.
In what was once the funeral staging room, a giant gold
chandelier hangs from the ceiling, complemented by two
wall chandeliers in the front. Walters says the large chan-
delier will be taken down and replaced with modern light-
ing. The room itself has no natural light; so small windows
were cut in the wall closest to the entry room to create a
brighter feeling.
Walters says that some people have been wary of hous-
ing the organization in a former mortuary, but felt better
after visiting the building themselves.
“It actually feels welcoming and good,” she says. “We
have done a lot of work to clean the energy.”
Most of the inside of the building is covered in plush
light-green carpet, which sits in stark contrast with the dark
brown wood-paneled walls. After walking upstairs, Walter
shows the light orange and cream half-walls they put up to
designate office space for their seven employees.
Walters is unsure what the future will look like for the
Trauma Healing Project during its temporary relocation.
“It’s as terrifying as it is exciting,” she says. “It’s an
unknown, and the price tag for our next move just feels
daunting.”
As soon as the dust settles, Walters says, the project will
begin to look for a more permanent location, because two
years is not a long time. Until then, they will keep working
to make this building a life-filled home. ■
cer coverage out of Russia by Eugenean
Killian Doherty at eugeneweekly.com.
• What we’re reading: a long article
from the June 2018 issue of The Atlantic
magazine called “The Birth of the New
American Aristocracy.” Matthew Stewart
writes about the 9.9 percent who hold
the most wealth in a country where the
class divide is already toxic and becom-
ing unbridgeable. We don’t agree with
everything he says, but it is provocative
and points to some action to take.
• What’s with the Confederate flags
flying from a business near Florence
over the weekend? A Eugenean friend
of ours asked the Florence Chamber of
Commerce that question, prompting this
reply: “Florence welcomes all visitors.
The seasonal vendor you mention is not
a chamber member and unfortunately
we have no influence over them. Flor-
ence is a wonderful community made up
of loving people. I hope you were able to
enjoy our shops and river views.”
• The city auditor story in Eugene
is a tale of power, personalities and
probably fear of what an independent
elected auditor might find and suggest.
It was no surprise that Councilor Betty
Taylor’s motion to put a new elected
auditor measure on the November ballot
failed July 9 with only two votes, hers
and Emily Semple’s (see our story at
eugeneweekly.com). Most of the play-
ers say the Eugene voters clearly want
some kind of auditor, considering the
votes for the two measures on the May
• Summer is here and EW’s hallways
are filled not only with staff, but on some
afternoons, their kids. What are you
doing with your kids now that school
is out? Got suggestions for your fellow
readers? Send us a letter to letters@
eugeneweekly.com.
ballot, and other anecdotal evidence.
But it seems unlikely that a truly effec-
tive auditor, like so many other cities
have, will spring from this mayor, man-
ager and staff and City Council. What’s
the next step?
• The craziness of soccer rules keeps
coming out in the World Cup in Russia.
For instance, when the Croatian player
who scored the goal that temporarily put
them ahead against Russia tore off his
jersey to celebrate, he got an automatic
yellow card. At the same time, the play-
ers are beating each other up and nary a
yellow card is flashed. Then there’s the
cruel shoot-out that has ended so many
matches in this World Cup. Isn’t there a
better way to find a winner? Oh well, it’s
only a game! Follow along with our soc-
• While we’re fortunate to have Con-
gressman Peter DeFazio and senators
Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley working for
us in D.C., our greatest challenge is the
November election, only four months
away. That means money, phone calls,
letters, door-knocking. As Sen. Elizabeth
Warren keeps saying, it’s time to raise
our voices louder and louder.
SLANT INCLUDES SHORT OPINION PIECES, OBSERVATIONS AND RUMOR-CHA SING NOTES COMPILED BY THE E W EDITORIAL BOARD. HEARD ANY GOOD RUMORS LATELY? CONTAC T EDITOR@EUGENE WEEKLY.COM
eugeneweekly.com • July 12, 2018
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