Community Conversations: Local nonprofit urges community to help meet growing need for guardians
Lynsey Harris
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — When adults in Central Oregon are no longer able to make decisions for themselves, the Central Oregon Guardian Assistance Program—better known as CO-GAP—steps in to help. The nonprofit provides court-appointed guardianship for individuals who are incapacitated and have no one else to advocate for them.
“CO-GAP is Central Oregon Guardian Assistance Program. And we are a nonprofit organization in the community that provides guardianship to individuals that are deemed incapacitated by the court,” said Executive Director Janet Basney.
Guardians work directly with each client to assess their needs—whether that’s housing, medical care, or other basic services.
“They step in and they kind of assess the situation,” Basney explained. “They will start with, what does the person need? Do they need housing? Do they need medical care? And being incapacitated means that an individual is unable to make those decisions for themselves.”
Since stepping into her leadership role, Basney says she’s seen first-hand how urgent the need has become.
“The biggest need is for more guardians. That way, the individuals that are in need of guardianship, which is very high, can have someone to help them.”
She added that a significant portion of their clients are either unhoused or at risk of becoming homeless when CO-GAP steps in.
“I have noticed that over 75% of the individuals that we provide guardianship for were either homeless at the time we took guardianship, or were at risk of becoming homeless.”
CO-GAP is also calling on the community to support their mission through volunteering and donations.
“On our website, you can make donations, and our volunteers are just individuals that will go and visit with our people,” Basney said. “It can be a lonely life for these individuals, if they have dementia or a mental illness and or if they’re in a facility.”