The Oregon Cares Fund, a grant program designed to specifically help Black people, their families, and Black-led organizations and businesses launched this week and is now accepting applications.

The $62 million fund will provide Oregon’s Black community with the resources it needs to weather the global health pandemic and consequent recession. The Contingent will administer the funds in partnership with The Black United Fund.

ODHS is aligned with these efforts and is committed to supporting outreach through the rich relationships of our own staff, as well as with external partners. We’d love your help getting the word out to those you know in the community and through your personal networks.

Applying and receiving funds will not affect the resources of financial assistance families are receiving from other programs or entities.

You can find the application and similar information on applying for the funds on The Oregon Cares Fund website.

Check out the latest on childcare and the new school year 

Fall is just around the corner and many members of our workforce are planning for school and autumn childcare.

The Early Learning Division last week released the new “Health and Safety Guidelines for Child Care and Early Education Operating in COVID-19.” The updated guidelines take effect Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Parents can view the expectations for providers and resources available to families on the ELD COVID-19 webpage.

Parents of school-age children can get the latest information on the Oregon Department of Education’s COVID-19 Resources webpage.

Since the extra $600 a week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation expired in July, we've seen a sharp increase in Oregonians applying for food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

SNAP benefits don't always cover every Oregonian's nutritional needs for a full month so it's important we help our neighbors know where they can go for help. Our needfood.oregon.gov website is a valuable resource with information in multiple languages and an outreach toolkit to help us raise awareness. This website provides  information about meals available from schools and food pantries, how to access Meals on Wheels and more.

Check it out and help us spread the word! 

The health of our employees is a top priority. Staff at affected offices are always notified as soon as possible by Human Resources and local management of any potential exposure to COVID-19. But others may also want to get this information emailed to them. Staff can subscribe here to receive email notifications of potential COVID exposure in DHS offices.

You can also visit this OWL site for a master list of all the offices that have had a potential exposure to COVID-19 and to see notification letters.

Staff can help keep work environments safe by letting their supervisors or managers know when they are having coronavirus-like symptoms or have been medically mandated to be off work. Human Resources encourages staff to use COVID leave options to seek medical care and get tested when needed. There are options for staff without accumulated sick leave. Early communication and testing are vital to stopping the spread of COVID-19. Don’t delay!