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Date: May 15, 2025
Contact: Communications.dhs@odhsoha.oregon.gov
Welcome to the Partner Update. Here’s a compilation of recent news you can use. You can expect the Partner Update in your email the third Thursday of every month.
There are a number of changes at the federal level that Oregon state agencies are tracking. The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) warmly invite you to attend an hour-long webinar that will provide an opportunity to connect with us and receive updates about federal changes impacting Oregon.
Details:
- Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Virtual via Zoom
- English: 10 to 11 a.m. (Pacific Time); Spanish: 2 to 3 p.m. (Pacific Time)
What to expect:
- All participant microphones will be muted.
- There will be an option to submit written questions.
- This webinar will not be recorded.
- This meeting will be virtual-only. This meeting will screen share and use PowerPoint slides.
- Materials shared during the webinar will be e-mailed to all registrants. You can also find information on the ODHS web page and the OHA web page.
For people who speak or use a language other than English, people with disabilities or people who need additional support, we can provide free help. Some examples are:
- Sign language and spoken language interpreters
- Written materials in other languages or transcript
- Braille
- Real-time captioning (CART)
- Large print
- Virtual platform change
- Audio and other formats
Please contact Fabiola Herrera at mayra.f.herrera-hernandez@oha.oregon.gov or 503-979-6984 (voice or text), at least 48 hours before the start of the webinar to request an accommodation. We will make every effort to provide services requested after the 48-hour deadline. We accept all relay calls. If you need an accommodation, please contact us right away, even if you are only considering attending. The earlier you make a request the more likely we can meet the need.
For organizations who have questions or would like to learn more about navigating the impact of executive orders as a non-profit organization, Nonprofit Association of Oregon is also hosting weekly, free webinars. You do not need to be a member.
Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) seeks new members for the Children’s Services Advisory Group (CSAG). The group works to ensure that Oregon’s supports and services for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are person-centered and accessible. CSAG makes recommendations about policy, practice, communication and collaboration.
Anyone can apply. We want to hear from many points of view. We are especially looking for family members and community partners who represent children from communities that are underserved, rural, or use languages other than English.
The application deadline is June 15, 2025. For more information, read the full announcement.
Healthy eating throughout the summer helps students grow strong and do well in school. That’s why we’re happy to share that the Oregon Summer EBT program is back for summer 2025!
This program gives families money to help buy groceries when school is out. Each eligible student can get $120 for food over the summer. Benefits begin issuing on May 22.
Who can get this help?
Your child may automatically qualify if:
- Your family gets SNAP, TANF, or Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) and meets income rules.
- Your child attended a school with the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP), and qualifies for free or reduced-price meals.
- Your child is in foster care, part of a migrant education program, experiencing houselessness, in a qualified Head Start, or part of the Food Program on Indian Reservations.
Your child may be eligible by application if:
- Your family meets the income requirements for free or reduced-price meals at school, and
- Your child attends a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP).
What else should you know?
- If you got Summer EBT in 2024 through an approved application you don’t need to apply again. Your family will get the benefits on May 22, 2025.
- If you’re new to the program, you must apply by Sept. 3, 2025. You can apply now using a paper application. An online application is available after May 30, 2025. Go to sebt.oregon.gov for details.
- You’ll get the money on an Oregon EBT card, which you can use at most grocery stores, farmers markets, and other places that accept EBT.
- You can protect your Oregon EBT card and benefits from electronic theft by following a few simple tips. Stolen Summer EBT benefits can’t be replaced.
Need help or want to apply?
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Older Americans Month is celebrated every May and is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of older Americans and reaffirm commitments to meeting the needs of older adults in our communities. The 2025 Older Americans Month theme is Flip the Script on Aging, which focuses on shifting common perceptions of aging and explores ways people stay active and engaged in their communities as they age.
“We must challenge the outdated narratives that can limit older adults' potential, recognize the many contributions being made by older adults, and support opportunities for people to thrive in their communities in ways that are meaningful to them,” said Nakeshia Knight-Coyle, Ph.D., Director of the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities (APD) within the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).
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The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Child Welfare Director is sharing details of a broad effort underway to improve safety for children in foster care and children who come to the attention of Child Welfare through a call to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline.
“The safety of children is our highest priority, and while the Child Welfare system has significantly improved in recent years, we know there is more work to do to ensure children are safe, both in our care and in the community,” said ODHS Child Welfare Director, Aprille Flint-Gerner.
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It was recently National Nurses Week. This year’s theme is the power of nurses. The Oregon Department of Human Services Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) recognizes the powerful and essential role nurses play in the lives of those they serve in Oregon’s intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) system. The nation is experiencing a shortage of nurses. To help address this shortage in Oregon’s I/DD sector, ODDS launched a campaign to raise awareness about nursing careers in Oregon’s I/DD system in December 2024.
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Programs to keep children safe by helping families with a range of services and material supports continued to reduce foster care placements in 2024. These programs improve family stability and prevent the severe stress and poor health outcomes children experience when removed from their families. One measure of the success of these programs is the number of foster care placements. There were 4,481 children in care at the end of the 2024, down from 4,590 in 2023.
This approach is part of Oregon’s shift away from the legacy of a child welfare removal system built in the mid-19th century with the rise of industrialization. Long factory hours and a lack of child care and other services for low-income working families resulted in widespread policies of child removal that continued into the 21st century often based on poverty, racism and bias.
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) has launched its first-ever interactive online training for the public about reporting suspected child abuse. The training rollout coincides with Child Abuse Awareness Month and the announcement of a new safety initiative underway in Child Welfare.
Safety priorities in the initiative include improving safety for children in foster care and children who come to the attention of Child Welfare in addition to providing training to the public and professionals known as mandatory reporters. Mandatory reporters are required by law to report suspected child abuse, and include professionals in healthcare, law enforcement, social work and education fields, among others.
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This May, the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) honors the essential role of resource families and respite providers in creating safe and nurturing environments for children and young adults. In Oregon, adults who care for children experiencing foster care are called resource parents, emphasizing the many important roles they play in supporting children and helping maintain relationships with their biological families and communities.
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Visitors and staff have recently noticed a new visual spark as they enter the Child Welfare lobby of the Oregon Department of Human Services Seaside offices. As you walk into the Child Welfare main lobby, you can see on the wall to your right an array of hexagon-shaped art. There’s a painting of a soccer player, a sloth hanging upside down from a branch, a mountain with a lake at its feet, a rainbow, a gray and white dog and many more scenes. Some hexagons have inspiring words on them, such as “LOVE,”“You’re STRONG!,”“Kindness” and “Food Makes You Happy.”
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The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is leading coordinated recovery efforts in Harney County, working to strengthen local capabilities and support communities impacted by recent flooding. The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is providing life sustaining supports to help Douglas and Harney counties and the Burns Paiute Tribe as they recover from recent flooding. In collaboration with OEM, the American Red Cross Cascades Region, Team Rubicon, faith-based organizations and Harney Hub - a Resilience Hubs and Networks grant recipient - ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) staff are participating in the Harney County Emergency Operations Center and helping connect people to the services they need to recover.
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If you missed the April 15 tax filing deadline you can still file your taxes. There is no penalty for filing if you are due refund money. In fact, now is an excellent time to get free tax filing help because, now that the big rush is over, there are many open appointments.
Thanks to the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Tax Infrastructure Grant Program free tax filing help is available through mid-October. The program funds community organizations throughout the state to offer free tax filing help for people who qualify.
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) hosts monthly Facebook Live events in Spanish to engage with our Spanish-speaking communities across the state. These events offer helpful information about services, supports and resources available through ODHS and our partners.
Each month, we feature different topics and collaborate with other state agencies and community-based organizations to strengthen relationships and share expertise while connecting with community.
This month, we highlighted the 2025 Summer EBT Program, with guests from the Oregon Department of Education, 211 Info, and Adelante Mujeres. You can watch and share the recording of the event on our .
We invite you to check out these events and help us spread the word!
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 ODHS Provider and Partner Resources
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