Human Services Coalition of Oregon

Welcome to the February Session!



Beginning Monday February 1, 2010, HSCO will meet every Monday from Noon to 1:00 PM in room 167A in the Capitol. Co-Chairs Stephanie Tama-Sweet and John Mullin look forward to seeing you.

Victory for all Oregonians

Oregon voters tonight passed two critical tax fairness measures, Measures 66 and 67. Passage of these measures will protect vital programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens.

Many thanks and congratulations to the human service advocates who knocked on doors, called voters, sent emails and voted in support of these measures. We know that we still have our work cut out for us but this is a huge win for Oregon.

Great work team and way to go Oregon!

Last day to vote!

It was great to see so many of you hitting the doors in support Measures 66 & 67 last week! Here's a picture of the canvass send-off.

With just hours to go before the ballot boxes close, make sure that your voice is heard and turn in your ballot! There is also still time to help volunteer. Here is some important information on making sure your vote gets counted.

The most important thing you need to know:

Ballots must be received by your county elections office or an official drop site location no later than 8 p.m., Tuesday, January 26, 2010.

Check out this map of every official ballot drop site in Oregon. Just click where you live, and get directions to your nearest official drop site!

Or click here for a list of official drop sites in Multnomah County.

Or contact the elections office in your county: A list of county elections offices is available here.

Can't find your official Voters' Guide? The Voter Guide is available online here.

Remember, in some counties, ballots have been printed double-sided, so make sure you read your ballot carefully, and vote on both Measure 66 and Measure 67 before you turn in your ballot.

And if you'd like to volunteer, head on over to the Vote Yes for Oregon Campaign Headquarters at 411 N.E. 19th Ave. Portland, OR 97232.

Whoops! Make that www.voteyesfororegon.org

Want to help out the YES campaign effort this weekend? Go to www.voteyesforogregon.org for more information, and thanks!

We look forward to seeing you at our HSCO meeting, Wednesday, January 6, 2010, at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon from 1:00-3:00.

Services benefit all

HSCO is in the Oregonian twice in one week! Read our letter to the editor below published in today's paper. And Happy Holidays to all.

Services benefit all

We read, with a great deal of concern, Michelle Cole's recent article on the rise in fraudulent claims for public benefits ("Another sign of recession? More people caught cheating to get Oregon benefits," Dec. 17).

Any false claim takes vital and scarce dollars away from those truly in need. The article fails to give adequate attention to the deep need facing Oregonians today and the critical presence of public services for thousands in our state.

It is a fact that fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits are most common. But while the official unemployment rate is currently 11.1 percent, the unofficial unemployment rate is much higher when considering underemployment.

These are hard-working parents, college graduates, even seniors who may be working but are still unable to make ends meet. Medicaid claims have the second highest percentage increase year after year. Thankfully, we have taken steps to expand coverage and reform health care in this state. All Oregonians benefit from public structures like unemployment insurance and Medicaid. They are an investment in our community members and a boon to the local economy.

In today's tough economic climate, our focus ought to be on helping those in need and giving all people an opportunity to thrive.

JOHN MULLIN
Southwest Portland
STEPHANIE TAMA-SWEET
Northeast Portland

Mullin and Tama-Sweet are co-chairs of the Human Services Coalition of Oregon.

HSCO's statement on The Stump

Measures 66 and 67: Protect the hardest-hit Oregonians
By Guest Columnist
December 21, 2009, 8:00AM

It's official: Oregon now ranks second in the nation for hunger. Food stamp use in our state has skyrocketed 36 percent over the past year. Today, 650,000 Oregonians -- one in six -- rely on food stamps. Just in the Portland metro area, for example, 231,911 people are currently enrolled in the program because they have nowhere else to turn. The reason behind the rapid rise in hunger is clear: Oregon has been hit hard by the economic crisis, and the effects are rippling through our communities. That's why we must carefully consider Measures 66 and 67, which are designed to protect Oregonians who have been hardest hit by the recession from being hurt again by drastic cuts to essential services.

With an unemployment rate that hit 11.3 percent, many Oregon families are simply not able to make ends meet. That doesn't just mean more hungry families, it also means more people signing up for the Oregon Health Plan, more parents in need of temporary assistance, and more seniors and people with disabilities in need of long-term care. Measures 66 and 67 protect $1 billion in funding for critical services like these by asking big corporations and the richest 2.5 percent of households -- all of whom can afford to pay more -- to contribute a greater share in these difficult economic times. If your family makes less than $250,000 a year, you won't pay a penny more in taxes from Measure 66.

At the same time, these measures provide immediate help to those who need it most -- those looking for work. If you lost your job and received unemployment benefits in 2009, you will get a tax break on the first $2,400 you collected.

With the $1 billion protected by these measures, those who most need state-supported services -- children, the elderly and people with disabilities, and parents who can't find a job -- will get them. The Department of Human Services recently disclosed that without these funds, it could end up having to eliminate emergency cash assistance to nearly 3,000 families in which both parents are unemployed; reduce short-term support by half for families in a one-time crisis, making it difficult for parents to cover basic housing and utilities needs; and reduce its job-training service, which helps put people back to work, by $10 million.

What does this mean? When parents most need help staying afloat so they can get back on their feet, we will be taking away many of the life preservers that can help.

With demands rising for basic services, now is the worst possible time to make deep cuts that will hurt struggling families.

Oregonians deserve better than that. Measures 66 and 67 will do what's right in difficult economic times -- they protect families who have been victims of the economy and help put Oregon on a path to recovery.

John Mullin is co-chairman of the Human Services Coalition of Oregon.

HSCO's Annual Meeting: The Road Ahead

Featuring Speaker of the House Dave Hunt

JOIN US to connect with other human service advocates and learn how you can play a vital role in protecting services for our hard working families, seniors, children and people with disabilities.

Also featuring:
Defend Oregon's Steve Novick
Panelists Invited: Multnomah County Board Chair Ted Wheeler, DHS Deputy Director Margaret Carter, OCPP's Chuck Sheketoff and the Zimbabwe Arts Project

When: Wednesday, December 2nd
8:30AM - 12:30PM
Where: YWCA - Portland
1111 SW 10th Ave
Portland, OR 97205
Download YWCA Location Map

REGISTER HERE: HTTP://OREGONHSCO.EVENTBRITE.COM

Membership Drive

We don't have any prizes to offer, but we hope for a very successful membership drive. If you are currently a member of HSCO, you should have received your 2010 membership form in the mail. Please sign up for 2010 by the end of the calendar year. If you have any questions, please contact Co-Chairs Stephanie Tama-Sweet or John Mullin.

Also, see HSCO on Facebook.

Thanks!