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Date: June 14, 2024
Contact: communitypartners@odhsoha.oregon.gov
Soon after assuming office, Governor Kotek introduced a new approach to developing Oregon’s biennial budget. The approach, whose goals are to ensure greater alignment of effort across the executive branch and make the best use of limited state resources, involves close and ongoing collaboration between state agencies, the CFO and Governor’s Office as agencies build agency request budgets (ARBs) for 2025-27.
The new budget approach has meant some changes to partner engagement timelines. Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) hosted a conversation with partners in late January to hear about community priorities and share an overview of the ARB timeline. Since then, ODHS has been working with the Governor’s Office to shape budget proposals that fall within 2025-27 budget parameters and satisfy the timeline. This will continue through mid-June. Following that process, we will engage with partners for input on our policy option packages (POPs). Community partner meetings are now being planned and will take place beginning in July 2024 as ODHS works to finalize its ARB, which is due September 1.
On April 30, 2024, ODHS submitted to the Governor’s Office a preliminary set of POPs for the 2025-27 biennium. This is still an early step in the Governor’s new budget process and we expect the proposed POPs will continue to be refined over the coming weeks. The POPs are informed by past partner input and adhere to Governor Kotek’s direction to focus agency budget requests in five areas:
- Advancing the Governor’s housing and behavioral health priorities,
- Advancing racial justice and equity,
- Improving customer service,
- Strengthening existing programs instead of adding new ones, and
- Increasing efficiency in program delivery to better serve Oregon’s cost-burdened individuals and families.
The POPs also reflect a constrained budget environment: Earlier this spring, Oregon’s State Economist projected a relatively balanced budget in 2025-27 – where expected revenue increases would cover the increased costs of maintaining current programs, and new investment proposals would be reserved for advancing the Governor’s housing, behavioral health and education initiatives. This has meant that most ODHS POPs must stay within a one percent growth limit of our 2023-25 General Fund budget.
Despite the conservative budget parameters Oregon faces in the biennium ahead, ODHS remains committed to building well-being with the communities we serve and engaging with our partners throughout the ARB process and the 2025 legislative session. Thank you for your continued collaboration. We look forward to providing you with additional updates in the months ahead.
Sincerely,
Fariborz Pakseresht
Director, Oregon Department of Human Services
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On Tuesday, June 25 from 2 - 3:00 p.m., you are invited to attend the next ODHS Community Partner meeting where we will be virtually sharing updated information about the 2025-2027 budget process along with more details about our upcoming ODHS Director tour.
The ODHS 2024-2027 Strategic Plan was submitted to the Governor's office on May 31, 2024. The two-page overview and larger plan can be found on the ODHS website. Now, planning for implementation has begun.
The plan is based on existing input from staff, partners and communities. The plan focuses on shoring up our foundations and the strategic plan goal areas are: equity, Tribal relationships, technology, data, workforce, operations and cross-program collaboration.
This is largely internal work which will help us work together to serve people, communities, and Tribes better. Community and staff will be engaged during the implementation of the plan, which will begin in June 2024. Thank you to the many staff and community members who offered their stories, feedback and ideas during the development of the plan.
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ODHS is excited to announce the roll out of a statewide customer service survey available through multiple platforms beginning this month. Starting in mid-June, surveys will be sent after eligibility appointments and for users of the ONE Eligibility system or Oregon ONE Mobile app via text. The rollout of local office surveys via posters with QR codes will occur in four waves, ultimately being in all local offices by the end of the year. ODHS is also developing a way to process paper surveys for offices.
The survey will be multilingual, anonymous and short with four basic questions focused on the individual’s experience with staff, the ONE Eligibility system or with the Oregon ONE Mobile app. ODHS will make adjustments as needed based on feedback.
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Governor Tina Kotek, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Agency Director Fariborz Pakseresht, and Child Welfare Director Aprille Flint-Gerner entered into a settlement agreement with Disability Rights Oregon, A Better Childhood, Rizzo Bosworth Eraut PC, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, attorneys representing thousands of children and young adults experiencing foster care in Oregon. This settlement agreement stemmed from a class-action lawsuit, Wyatt B. et al. v. Kotek et al., that sought to improve Oregon’s foster care system.
Read the full announcement.
Please join the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and ODHS in a virtual meeting about the new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) food benefits program for children. Summer EBT helps close the summer hunger gap when children are on summer break and lose access to healthy meals at school. It will provide a onetime payment of $120 per child who qualifies. Families will use an Oregon EBT card to buy groceries at authorized retailers. An estimated 294,000 school-age children in Oregon may be eligible. Summer EBT became a new, permanent program through the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Learn more at sebt.oregon.gov.
Date: Friday, June 21, 2024
Time: 11 a.m. to Noon, Pacific Time
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ODHS and Oregon Department of Education are hosting a Spanish Facebook Live event on Summer EBT for Spanish-speaking families.
When: June 20, 2024 from Noon to 1 p.m.
Where: ODHS Spanish Facebook Page
No registration necessary, people interested may simply visit the Spanish ODHS Facebook page at the time of the event.
The ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) received over 700 applications for the Resilience Hubs and Networks grant! If you or your organization applied- THANK YOU! We are humbled by the response to this funding opportunity, and we are impressed by the scope of projects being worked on.
Right now, a team of 20 volunteer panelists are reviewing the top 100 applications. Once those reviews are complete, OREM staff will identify the applications that can be funded. Announcements to grant recipients will begin in late June.
Thank you to everyone who applied. Your work is making Oregon more resilient.
The Oregon Disabilities Commission (ODC), Northwest ADA Center and Disability
Rights Oregon will co-host a free Lunch and Learn webinar series in July in recognition and celebration of the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The informational series will launch on Tuesday, July 9. The series will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesdays throughout July. Members of the public are welcome to participate.
Topics by date are:
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July 9: History and success of the Olmstead Case
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July 16: Spotlighting the talents of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing
communities
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July 23: History of the ADA, current wins and ongoing efforts
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July 30: Boards and Commissions in action: information, awareness and
impacts
More information about the series will be shared on the Oregon Department of
Human Services ADA event web page.
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The State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) works to ensure Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is consumer driven and that available programs, services and resources result in competitive integrated employment.
The Oregon State Rehabilitation Council invites you to its third quarterly meeting of 2024, set for 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST August 9 in Klamath Falls. This will be a hybrid meeting with an opportunity to attend virtually on Zoom. The agenda includes program updates from VR Director Keith Ozols, project updates, partner updates and progress reports from SRC committees.
Full meeting message available on the SRC webpage.
 ODHS Provider and Partner Resources
Did you know ODHS also has a website completely in Spanish? The information on this website was translated by our staff, not a translation software to make sure it is the most helpful for our Spanish speaking communities. You can find the Spanish website by visiting servicioshumanos.oregon.gov
Oregon is better when all are celebrated and loved. An Oregon partner agency, Oregon Department of Justice, has launched You Belong, a campaign to share information about the confidential Bias Response Hotline. If you have experienced or witnessed a hate crime or bias incident, please contact Oregon’s confidential Bias Response Hotline at 1-844-924-BIAS (2427); make a report or chat with us online at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.gov.
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