Community Engagement Team

Building access to behavioral health services

LifeWorks NW has provided behavioral health services for over 60 years. As the needs of our community shift, we adapt to meet people where they are.

Our Community Engagement Team (CET) was established in 2025 in response to the changing mental health needs in the Portland metro area. 

How does it work?

Contact the CET

Are you a social services organization that would like to know more about partnering with our Community Engagement Team?

Many struggle to access services in traditional clinic settings. Our team brings trained behavioral health staff to community partner locations such as hospitals, shelters, and corrections facilities, where we offer on-site services and facilitate access to care. We provide a bridge to mental health and addictions care with services that include:

  • Mental health screenings
  • Social determinants of health screenings
  • Care coordination
  • Skills training
  • Behavioral health assessments
Breaking down barriers

We eliminate early barriers to care by providing initial services on-site.

While we build trust over time, we can also address common challenges to accessing outpatient services, such as intake paperwork, enrollment in Oregon Health Plan, or transportation logistics.

40%

40% of unsheltered houseless people report having a severe mental health disorder and 37% report a substance use disorder. (2022, Portland Street Medicine)

Client stories

A woman with long gray hair and black glasses stands in front of an easel, painting, with a slight smile on her face.

Client story: ‘I found people who could help me’ 

Marta* experienced severe emotional and physical abuse as a child in Eastern Europe, a trajectory that continued into adulthood with her husband. The couple immigrated...
A man in his 50's in a yellow shirt holds a coffee cup in a sunny park, smiling in conversation with someone else.

Client story: ‘I am one of the lucky ones’ 

Micah* sums up his 55 years in a simple sentence: "I've had a hard life." He grew up quicker than most after having a child...
A dad sits on the ground and celebrates, smiling, as his toddler child walks toward him in their living room.

Client story: Overcoming fentanyl addiction to flip the narrative

Xavi* began receiving mental health services at LifeWorks NW when he was a teenager. Diagnosed with mood disorder psychosis, he found medications that worked for...