A rebuilt life shows potential of Lane County deflection program

Earlier this year, Sabra Lindahl was homeless in Eugene, living in a tent, and in the throes of a fentanyl addiction.

Lindahl is now in a recovery house and rebuilding her life after a chance meeting March 11 with Eugene Patrol Officer Dave Clark led to her entry into Lane County’s deflection program.

Clark could have arrested her for misdemeanor drug possession. But he recognized Lindahl was a candidate for the program, which allows people to avoid charges in court if they participate in the program, which includes treatment and accountability. 

On Friday, Aug. 22, the 32-year-old Lindahl was among seven people to graduate from Lane County’s deflection program, at an event celebrating their success.

Holding her 4-year-old son, Kellen, Lindahl spoke about her journey to recovery in an interview with Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

“I feel a lot happier, healthier, and I feel like I could be so much more than I was able to do,” Lindahl said. 

She’s among nearly two dozen others to do so in Lane County. In all, 228 participants have entered the county’s program since it started in October 2024. Of those, 23 — about 10% — have successfully completed it, after participating for an average of 142 days, according to county data.

Another 67 are still enrolled and participating, having spent an average of nearly 70 days in deflection. Another 140 participants have been removed from the program during that time, often when they stop making contact with workers and cannot be reached. People who are removed from the program can re-enter it in the future and some have done so.

People start deflection usually when they encounter a police officer who recognizes they could be eligible. The police officer contacts a peer navigator, who meets with the person and guides them into the program, which can include housing, inpatient or outpatient treatment and support groups.

“All of a sudden, there’s no handcuffs and I drive away,” Clark said in an interview. “And she’s just left with a deflection person who can help her with her next chapter.”

Lindahl was ready for the next chapter when she met Clark, who attended the graduation ceremony to celebrate her success. When she first entered deflection, she knew she needed help — but the meeting with Clark was the nudge that helped her start to turn her life around.

“He gave me that opportunity because I was already struggling to not procrastinate getting treatment to get my kid back,” Lindahl said.

Lindahl has been involved with drugs and battled addiction off and on since she was 18. 

“I was tired of having nothing going for myself,” she said. “And not having my kid was a heartbreak. I was super happy and excited when he offered that.”

Lindahl’s next step was meeting with her peer navigator, Matt Davis of Ideal Option, which Lane County contracts with to provide deflection services. Ideal Option helps program participants connect with services such as health care, housing and job assistance.

“Life is amazing for what this program can do for people when they have a little bit of motivation and help,” Davis said.

Each person’s journey through recovery is different, and peer navigators help them with a plan. For Lindahl, she needed emergency housing and then entered a residential treatment program that she finished.

When she started the program, she didn’t have custody of her son, and they had been apart for several months. For the past month, Lindahl has had her son back. She’s now mapping out a future that could eventually include working as a peer navigator to help others make the climb out of addiction.

“It gave me a lot of faith that I could actually do it,” she said.