|
Friends and Neighbors,
Governor Updates
Governor Kate Brown Issues New Residential Eviction Ban to Address Housing Needs During COVID-19 and Wildfire Response and Recovery Efforts
New temporary moratorium for non-payment evictions effective from September 30 through December 31, 2020
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread devastation caused by wildfires, Governor Kate Brown yesterday established a new moratorium preventing residential evictions for non-payment and other no-cause evictions between September 30 and December 31, 2020.
Governor Brown took immediate action in March and April through executive orders to keep Oregonians housed during the pandemic. In the first special session of this year, the Legislature passed House Bill 4213, establishing a residential and commercial eviction moratorium through September 30, 2020, with a six-month repayment period. The Governor’s new executive order will help keep Oregonians in their homes until the Legislature can convene later this year to address housing issues.
“Every Oregonian deserves a warm, safe, dry place to call home,” said Governor Brown. “Since the Legislature passed House Bill 4213, thousands of people have been displaced by massive and devastating wildfires, and the global pandemic continues to make it difficult for many Oregonians, including Oregon's veterans and many families with children, to pay rent, through no fault of their own.
“Keeping economically vulnerable Oregonians in their homes has been critical to the State’s COVID-19 response throughout this pandemic. Having a safe and stable home allows individuals to practice effective physical distancing, helps facilitate quarantine and isolation, and helps to prevent families and individuals from being displaced from their homes into more crowded multifamily or congregate living conditions, where the virus can spread more easily.
“Housing is a critical human need, and, as we enter cold and flu season during a pandemic––and as many students learn remotely from home––it is absolutely critical that people not be turned out of their homes. While my action today will address the immediate issue of preventing residential evictions through the end of the year, it is my hope that, when the Legislature next meets, they will take up the larger issues we need to address regarding housing relief.”
EO 20-56 establishes a new, temporary residential eviction moratorium through the end of the year, due to the urgent need to prevent a wave of evictions during simultaneous wildfire and pandemic emergency response and recovery efforts. Both crises have had an acute and disproportionate impact on Oregon's communities of color, including Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, and Latinx, Pacific Islander, and Tribal communities, as well as families living in rural Oregon.
Added Governor Brown: "Many of the Oregonians most impacted by the pandemic and wildfire crises are those who can afford it least, and who have already faced housing discrimination and vast disparities in the availability of affordable housing. My action today will provide immediate relief, but we still have much work to do to address the systemic racism that lies at the heart of the affordable housing crisis in our country."
The full text of Governor Brown’s executive order is available here .
Wildfire Updates
OHA Launches Behavioral Health Helpline, Outreach Campaign to Support Oregonians’ Mental, Emotional Health Needs
 From the Oregon Health Authority
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced the launch of a behavioral health outreach and education effort and new helpline for Oregonians. These new resources will help support increased behavioral health needs in our communities due to the broad impacts of COVID-19 and the once-in-a-lifetime wildfire season.
"The ongoing pandemic along with multiple other stressors are affecting Oregonians’ mental health," said OHA Director Patrick Allen. "Over the past seven months, we have seen incredible resilience from communities across the state, as we have come together to support each other in powerful ways. We hope Oregonians will reach out to get the support they need and share resources with others in their communities. It’s OK to ask for support, and we want to make it as easy as possible to take the first step to get help."
Oregon-based nonprofit Lines for Life and OHA have launched the Safe + Strong Helpline at 800-923-4357 (800-923-HELP). The line offers free, 24-7 emotional support and resource referral to anyone who needs it -- not only those experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Safe + Strong Helpline is a response to needs for emotional support around disasters like COVID-19 and wildfires and was funded by the CARES Act. Callers are routed to a counselor who can provide emotional support, mental health triage, drug and alcohol counseling, crisis counseling or just connection.
"This line is for anyone who doesn’t know who to turn to, or who might be wavering about what type of support they need," said Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life. "Data shows that warmlines help people who feel isolated or overwhelmed get back to their lives and reduce the need for emergency services. By talking through it, we can keep this need from turning into a crisis."
OHA has also expanded its Safe + Strong education and outreach campaign to include behavioral health resources. Safe + Strong is a statewide outreach effort in 12 languages aimed at reaching communities most impacted by health disparities with culturally relevant, linguistically responsive resources. A behavioral health landing page at https://www.safestrongoregon.org offers mental and emotional support information and resources as well as guidance for how to have conversations with loved ones who may be struggling.
OHA will also launch digital, print, radio and community outreach to ensure as many Oregonians as possible know that help is available for them. Target audiences for the campaign include Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, LGBTQIA+ communities and families with young children, with messaging and materials developed in partnership with community-based organizations.
Next month OHA will add a community care resource guide, providing information about a variety of mental health resources that are responsive to community needs.
Resources:
Lines for Life is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide and promoting mental wellness, founded in 1993. The organization operates 24-hour helpline and prevention programs around these topics and more. Their highly trained counselors now answer over 100,000 calls per year, with many lines serving the nation.
The Oregon Health Authority is the state agency at the forefront of lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to health care in order to improve the lifelong health of Oregonians. OHA is overseen by the nine-member citizen Oregon Health Policy Board working toward comprehensive health reform in our state.
Contact Tracing: Answering the Call
Watch the short video below from the Oregon Health Authority on what to expect if you receive a call from a Contact Tracer. Learn more about Contact Tracing at http://healthoregon.org/contacttracing.
  COVID-19 Situation in Oregon
Please remember to continue practicing physical distancing, wearing your mask and washing your hands. The current data dashboards and reports for the pandemic situation in Oregon can be found here:
 Additional Resources
House District 30 Links
Federal Delegation Links
Education Links
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
Be good to yourself and each other. ❤
Onward & Upward,
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-487, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman
| 
