Governor Brown held a press conference discussing the wildfires and announcing a new temporary moratorium for non-payment evictions. The press briefing in its entirety can be watched here.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) announced those who have been impacted by forest fires may be eligible for replacement benefits, I’ve included links and resources in this newsletter.

While we work to address the fallout from wildfires, COVID-19 is still a concern in the community. We must continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing, and keep up strict hygiene regiments. I’ve included resources from the Oregon Health Authority about what to expect if contacted by a Contact Tracer, and their new behavioral health helpline.

Governor Kate Brown Issues New Residential Eviction Ban

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 .

Wildfires resources

Local resources:

• Clackamas County

• Washington County – Tualatin

News and updates:

• Department of Environmental Quality Oregon Smoke Information Blog (English/Spanish)

• Office of Emergency Management Twitter

• Oregon Red Cross Twitter

• Oregon Department of Forestry

  • ODF Twitter

  • ODF blog

  • ODF flash alerts

• Oregon State Fire Marshall Twitter

Pet Resources:

• Pets and Wildfire FAQ and evacuation for pets at fairgrounds

• VCA Animal Hospitals Offers Free Boarding for Pets Displaced by Oregon Wildfires
   

How to help:

Support the American Red Cross 

Support the Oregon Food Bank

Support Wildland Firefighter Foundation 

Support Oregon Humane Society

Complete your Census. The census helps inform future resources to your state especially during emergencies such as wildfires.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) announced those who may have been impacted by forest fires may be eligible for replacement benefits. To be eligible you must be a current SNAP recipient and have experienced other household misfortunes that have caused the loss of goods. You can read more here.

SNAP recipients must request replacement benefits within 10 (ten) calendar days of experiencing food loss. Once approved, replacement benefits are issued to current recipients using their existing EBT card. To request replacement benefits, current SNAP recipients can call their local branch office.

Replacement SNAP Benefits Flyer: Outreach flyer for community organizations to use with affected households

• English | Español

Replacement Benefits Request Form with Cover Page

COVID-19 Updates

The Oregon Health Authority released Sept. 23rd its most recent Weekly Report and can be found here. OHA notes that for the week of Sept.14 through Sept. 20, new COVID-19 infections rose 17% from the week prior, to 1,511. The number of Oregonians newly tested rose 8%, to 18,840, and the percentage of tests that were positive rose from 5.6% to 6.2%.

Eighteen Oregonians were reported to have died in association with COVID-19, compared to 29 the prior week. One hundred and sixteen Oregonians were hospitalized, up from 83 in the previous week.

The age group with the highest incidence of reported infection continues to be 20-to-29-year-olds. People under 30 years old have accounted for 37% of reported cases.

Contact Tracing

The Oregon Health Authority released a video explaining what to expect if you receive a call from a Contact Tracer. Watch the video below to learn more.

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:

• Safe + Strong Helpline: 800-923-4357 (HELP).

• Safe + Strong: https://www.safestrongoregon.org/.

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255.

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.