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Looking back at 2023, we can see the hard work from our staff, partners, providers and communities who came together to support the well-being of more than a million people in Oregon this year. We are filled with gratitude for you and want you to know - you make a difference. We know we can't fit all the good human services work that happened in one newsletter, so we hope you enjoy these glimpses into a small part of what we accomplished together.
On Jan. 1, ODHS and the Oregon Department of Education announced an expansion of the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program through House Bill 3073 of the 2021 Legislative Session. The primary changes to the program meant that students — in high school, a GED program, or college — no longer need to work to qualify for the child care assistance. Plus, all students now receive additional child care hours each week for study time. This bill also established the new Department of Early Learning and Care.
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Jan. 11 - As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, staff from all over ODHS (including our Office of Training Investigations and Safety pictured here) joined in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Wear Blue Day to raise awareness of human trafficking and efforts to end it.
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 Throughout the year, ODHS staff support extreme weather shelters across Oregon to help people who need to warm up, stay cool, breathe clean air and more. In February, an unexpectedly severe winter storm meant that many people were in need of clean, warm and dry shelter, as well as other supplies to keep them safe. Want to get a sense of what it's like at an extreme weather shelter? Read this article from The Oregonian that features ODHS Case Manager Laurie Perrone.
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Feb. 1 - Legislation at the federal level ended a program that allowed people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to get extra allotments to help with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. To help ease fears, ODHS Self-Sufficiency Programs then-Interim Director Claire Seguin and ODHS Digital Media Manager Lindsey Kort teamed up with the Oregon Health Authority to share a video answering frequently asked questions about the end of SNAP Emergency Allotments.
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 Due to war and political unrest, 2023 saw more funding to help thousands of immigrants and refugees resettling from Ukraine, Afghanistan and other countries. ODHS requested applications from culturally and linguistically responsive organizations to distribute funding for supports like housing, employment assistance, legal aid, health care, services for older adults and more.
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Mar. 13 - March is National Social Work Month. In honor of the many social workers and people who do social work at ODHS and in our partner organizations, Director Fariborz Pakseresht shared a video thanking everyone for their commitment and dedication to well-being. You can also check out an ODHS news release honoring this year's winners of the Tom Moan Memorial Award for excellence in child welfare casework.
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 The end of the COVID-19 Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) meant that many ODHS programs and services had to return to pre-pandemic functions. Starting in April, a group at ODHS and the Oregon Health Authority joined forces to “unwind” from the PHE. As a result, Oregon is among the top states in the nation for keeping people covered with medical benefits and having the least administrative burden (paperwork) for people to complete benefits renewals processes. You can read about what we were facing in this Oregon Capital Chronicle Medicaid article.
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April 28 - April marked National Child Abuse Prevention Month. At ODHS, we believe that children and families are stronger when communities come together to support them. Having conversations about food banks, unemployment, cash benefits and educational programs can go a long way to prevent childhood adversity and the stresses that lead to abuse and neglect.
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Electronic theft problems have been increasing across the country – including Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card skimming that steals people’s food benefits. In May, ODHS began replacing stolen SNAP benefits thanks to the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Learn more in this news release about SNAP replacement benefits.
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May 19 - Each year, in honor of Public Service Recognition Week, the Oregon Governor's Office selects Ambassadors of Public Service who do exceptional work for their State agencies. This year, Governor Tina Kotek honored six ODHS employees:
- Sheri Boyd, Vocational Rehabilitation
- Rebecca Fetters, Aging and People with Disabilities
- Mandy Freeman, Oregon Eligibility Partnership
- Joe Ordaz, Self-Sufficiency Programs
- Christine Phillips, Child Welfare
- Sierra Rawson, Stabilization and Crisis Unit
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 After nearly two years of planning and input from hundreds of members of the public, staff and partners, ODHS launched an all new user-centered website. The redesigned website is more accessible to people with disabilities, mobile-friendly, and has new language access features. We doubled the number of pages with an eighth grade or lower reading level. There's even a dedicated Spanish language site and new office-finder feature that provides directions to local offices through Google Maps. And with over 10 million pageviews each year, we are committed to continuing to improve the new website based on feedback we receive from real users.
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June 15 - In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The ODHS Office of Tribal Affairs and the Child Welfare Division celebrated the decision as we continue serving the Nine Tribes of Oregon and all Tribal children and families across the state. |
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 ODHS recently began hosting Free Food Markets in Clackamas, Hillsboro, Portland and Tigard in partnership with the Oregon Food Bank and Northeast Emergency Food Program, as well as "First Thursdays" at our Roseburg office. First Thursdays bring together community organizations to help people access supports they may need - like food, clothing, showers and even dental checks. Our first Roseburg First Thursday in November 2022 started off with four agencies. July's event featured nearly 40 community partners and drew upwards of 300 people. You can read more about the events in this feature from The News-Review.
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July 3 - ODHS, the Oregon Disabilities Commission, Northwest ADA Center, and Disability Rights Oregon hosted a free Lunch and Learn webinar series in July in recognition and celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA is an important civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
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 In August, we answered a call for assistance from Hawai'i Department of Human Services after devastating Maui Wildfires. We deployed 25 staff members to help. We helped Hawai'i apply for FEMA support, helped organize and train community partners on how to assess survivors' needs, and made direct calls to survivors. We helped open and operate a shelter for people in the burn area who were experiencing homelessness before the Maui Wildfire. Our Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) ordered supplies, set up the shelter and arranged for the tent manufacturer to provide training and transport. Once there, we helped people register for help and mentored shelter staff and volunteers.
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Aug. 28 - In the event of the Cascadia earthquake, coastal communities are likely to be cut off from the rest of the state. That’s why ODHS OREM and Tillamook County, along with volunteers, set up and tested Oregon’s first set of evacuation assembly point (EAP) equipment. We budgeted eight total hours for equipment set up, but the team had 15 tents set up in just four hours! We plan to deploy more of these supplies to other coastal communities.
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 ODHS mobile vans began traveling around Coos, Curry, Gilliam, Hood River, Sherman, Wasco, Washington, and Wheeler counties. Staff in the vans help people with eligibility intakes for benefits like medical, food, cash and child care, as well as get them connected with resources like help getting a job or clothing for job interviews. The vans also celebrate the holidays - in October at a Trunk or Treat event, "Lola" the van won a costume contest as voted on by the kids attending; in November, Lola delivered nearly 150 Thanksgiving meals to families in the Columbia River Gorge; and in December, the vans will be delivering gifts to families who need them.
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Sept. 26 - ODHS observed Orange Shirt Day, also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, by posting stories from Native ODHS employees every day for a week. Orange Shirt Day opens the door for a global conversation about all aspects of the Indian boarding school system which caused Indigenous populations to lose their cultural identities through policies of forced assimilation. Orange Shirt Day fell on the last day of the annual ODHS Tribal-State ICWA Conference in Grande Ronde.
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 In partnership with the State Rehabilitation Council, the Oregon Commission for the Blind, and the Oregon Department of Education, we hosted a series of in-person and virtual events in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). NDEAM is a time to celebrate the contributions people with disabilities have made in workplaces and to recognize businesses that support employees with disabilities. One of the events highlighted former Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) participant Kevin Glenn's dynamic story — from experiencing homelessness with undiagnosed and unmanaged disabilities to manager for an international company.
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Oct. 26 - We want to do a better job helping people with disabilities who want to work. That's why our VR program conducted a survey in English and Spanish to learn about barriers to employment and hear about real experiences using VR and WorkSource Oregon services. |
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 Senate Bill 99, passed early in 2023, created the LGBTQIA2S+ subcommittee of the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services. In November, ODHS put out a call for applicants to join the subcommittee. Board members will advocate for older adults who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ and help shape state services. They will also have a voice in ensuring services and supports provided by the state are equitable.
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Nov. 16 - Throughout the year, ODHS employees Adriana Taylor and Marlen Torres have hosted informational Facebook Live events for the Spanish-speaking and Indigenous communities. In this Live event, Adriana and Marlen shared holiday resources that are available to help families make things a little brighter - including warm clothes, food and toys. This event helped push our Spanish Facebook page past the 1,000 follower mark!
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 Tribal members from the Klamath Tribes, ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht, and ODHS Tribal Affairs Director Adam Becenti (Navajo/Diné) joined ODHS District 11 staff to celebrate the first anniversary of the Indian Child Welfare Act Court in Klamath Falls, OR. The Klamath Falls ICWA court is one 22 courts to address specific needs of Tribal children and families and carry out the federal and state Indian Child Welfare Act laws.
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Dec. 4 - As part of Governor Tina Kotek's Customer Service Initiative, we're trying to do a better job getting everyone the information they need to learn about us and manage their benefits, services and supports from ODHS. In December, we launched a survey to get feedback about communications. There's still time to take it! Give us your input by Jan. 31, 2024 by taking the survey in English or Spanish.
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