I hope many of you were all able to enjoy a dusting of snow this week. Although we just had a thin layer of ice at my house, it was a welcome transition to winter and the holidays. Over the next two weeks my team and I will be taking some time away from the office to disconnect from work, and spend time with family. I hope you are taking time with family and friends over the holidays as well.
Now, there is so much to update you on! We had an important and successful Special Session on Monday, December 13th and a successful Town Hall discussion on transportation last Saturday. Read on for information about community events during the holiday season, an awesome local business, updates on my next town hall in January, and more!
Please note that we will not publish a newsletter on 12/31/21 in order to give my staff and I some well deserved time off. We will resume our normal schedule on 1/14/21.
Table of Contents
Please note that if your phone clips emails automatically, you will need to click "View entire message" at the bottom of your screen for the table of contents to work.
Looking to give back to your community this upcoming holiday season?
Sunshine Division Holiday Home Meal Delivery
Join Sunshine Division TOMORROW, Saturday, Dec. 18th for their 99th year in a row of delivering nourishing holiday meals to our neighbor’s homes. Each volunteer will need a vehicle to deliver at least 4 meals to neighbors in need. You will also need to register in advance. There are recurring opportunities to deliver meals and pack food boxes into next year.
For more volunteer opportunities, check out this article from PDX Parent.
Office of Emergency Management Published Comic Book
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management collaborated with Dark Horse Comics to publish a comic book as a tool to educate the public about wildfires. Without Warning! Wildfire is an engaging way to help you learn how and where wildfires start and how to reduce your risk in this action-packed comic! It is available in Englishand Spanish.
On Monday, 12/13 the Legislature convened for the Second Special Session of 2021. I am thankful I was able to vote on these critical bills to help folks in need across Oregon. Read on below to learn more about what we passed and how it will impact our great state:
Housing Protections
Senate Bill 891 extends safe harbor protections to prevent evictions of Oregonians who have rental assistance on the way. Senate Bill 5561 includes a $215 million package to provide additional rental assistance, speed up the process of applications, and ensure landlords are fully paid.
Drought Relief
In response to the impact the recent heat dome, wildfire smoke and record drought have had on farming communities, Senate Bill 5561 includes a $100 million drought relief package to support farmers and irrigators across the state who have been impacted by drought, heat, or fire. Senate Bill 892 establishes a forgivable loan program to provide financial assistance for Oregon farmers and ranchers who lost gross income in 2021 due to a qualifying natural disaster.
Illegal Cannabis Enforcement
Senate Bill 5561 approves $25 million to prevent illegal operations and address the humanitarian crisis impacting workers at these sites. Senate Bill 893 expands the scope of the Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Grant program at the Criminal Justice Commission to include funding for community-based organizations to address the humanitarian crisis that workers are forced into with unlawful cultivation or distribution operations.
Afghan Refugee Support
Senate Bill 5561 includes $18 million to help Afghan refugees arriving in Oregon find housing, education, language and job training, and legal assistance.
Affordable Housing and Homeless Support
Senate Bill 5561 approved $1 million to each of the following cities: Albany, Ashland, Beaverton, Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, Grants Pass, Gresham, Hillsboro, Medford, Portland, Redmond, Salem, and Springfield. The $14 million total will address housing insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or homelessness over the next few months. The City of Portland will use its $1 million to work with local partners to establish RV parking sites.
Oregon Mass Timber Modular Housing Prototype
Senate Bill 5561 includes $5 million for the Port of Portland to help fund the Oregon Mass Timber Modular Housing Prototype project, which will develop a prototype of modular housing units made from mass timber AND assess the economic, environmental, and efficiency of creating these housing units to address the housing crisis in Oregon.
Gun Violence Prevention
Senate Bill 5561 invests $2 million to assist the City of Gresham and local community partners in creating and implementing the East Metro Outreach, Prevention, and Intervention (OPI) program. The program will address rising youth violence and improve public safety outcomes in East Multnomah County by building community and investing in mentoring and culturally responsive youth programming.
I continue to host mainly virtual events but am planning to hold in-person events in the new year. If you would like to speak with me individually, my office can help set up a time for meeting. If you have additional thoughts on how I can engage your community, please let me know. The best way to reach me is through my email: Rep.MaxineDexter@oregonlegislature.gov.
Zoom Town Halls
Mark your calendars! My January Town Hall on January 15th from 10 - 11:30 a.m. will focus on Pre-K through 12th grade education. Panelists will be announced in our next newsletter. Register here!
Some of the best ideas we get for policy come from my constituents and people who care and think deeply about issues of concern to them. Thank you to all those who have submitted an idea! We look forward to following up with you. Please submit here. No idea is too big or too small! We look forward to dreaming big together to help make sure we all have the ability to live healthy lives, in a healthy community, on a healthy planet.
This week the Omicron variant was officially identified in Oregon. While it may feel like we are back at square one, we are not. We have highly effective tools to protect ourselves and our loved ones from infection. It is still important to do what we know works, wearing masks, social distancing, and getting vaccinated or your booster shot. Read or watch the latest statement from Dean E. Sidelinger, M.D., M.S.Ed., state health officer and state epidemiologist on the Omicron variant in Oregon.
As always, I urge you and your loved ones to please wear a mask when gathering with others indoors, optimize indoor ventilation, and get vaccinated/boosted as quickly as possible. All Oregonians ages 18 & up are eligible for booster doses of the vaccines. You can visit this website to find a location near you and many pharmacies are allowing walk-in vaccinations. You may have questions about boosters and third doses, and we encourage you to watch the latest Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Q & A about it here.
Do not visit an emergency department for COVID-19 testing unless you require emergency care for your symptoms. You can find a test here. If you have a medical condition that doesn’t require emergency care, an urgent care center will help you get the care you need and will save emergency departments from added strain. As of November 30th, there is 8% availability in adult ICU and non-ICU beds. More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
Where to find a vaccines for children
Oregon is working to make pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine available through Oregon’s federally qualified health centers, local public health authorities, pharmacies and pediatric clinics. Call your provider or use the Get Vaccinated Oregon (GVO) locator map to find a provider near you that has pediatric doses of Pfizer available. As providers throughout the state receive the pediatric vaccine, locations will be added to the GVO locator map. You can also call 211.
PPS K-12 COVID-19 Screen Program
K-12 PPS students can sign up to get free weekly COVID-19, PCR tests through their school during the 2021-2022 school year. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has contracted with OHSU to provide these tests to participating K-12 schools in Oregon. Parents can opt into this program for their students by completing the attached forms. If you have questions, please see this FAQ sheet about the program. Please note that you will need to fill out both the Opt In form and the OHSU Authorization form and then return them to the main office at your school. The form automatically downloads when you select this link, please check your download folder.
Second Edition Resale is a non-profit, volunteer-run resale store in Cedar Mill, just by the community library. The store sells donated clothing, toys, housewares, jewelry and art. All profits from the store go to the Cedar Mill Library, an unincorporated library in Washington County.
While the state has made the difficult decision to pause accepting new applications at midnight on December 1st for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP), Washington County’s local Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program continues to accept applications through existing local pathways. With the additional program administrative assistance from the Special Session, we expect for rental assistance applications to be approved quicker and for the application to open again soon.
Community Action, the agency administering the local funds for Washington County, maintains a phone line and an online portal and it has established partnerships with other agencies, community-based organizations as well as public health contact tracing staff to get the funds out as quickly as possible. These local funds will continue to be available for income-eligible renters over the foreseeable future.
Homeowner Assistance Fund
Congress established the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF), resulting in $90 M to prevent Oregon homeowners from losing their homes. This program will open in phases and currently are accepting applications from homeowners in Phase 1 to target those at most risk for foreclosure. You can view the application guide or the plan that was submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department for more information.
Landlord Guarantee Program
The effects of the pandemic have affected not only tenants, but landlords as well. If you are a landlord and you have tenants with rent owed, the Oregon Landlord Guarantee Program can help. Oregon Landlord Guarantee Program reimburses landlords for eligible non-payment costs such as rent and late fees, incurred during the “safe harbor” period. You may qualify for funds if your tenant provided you with documentation they received from a rent assistance provider showing that they applied for rent assistance and you: 1) Delayed delivering a Termination Notice for Non-payment, or 2) Delayed initiating or continuing an action for possession based on a termination notice for non-payment. If you have questions, feel free to reference the FAQ or reach out to the LGP Team.
The best way to stay informed and connect with my legislative work is through my Facebook page (State Representative Maxine Dexter), my Twitter account (@RepDexterOR), and my Instagram (@RepDexterOR). In addition, please feel free to reach out to my office at Rep.MaxineDexter@OregonLegislature.gov.
I am honored to represent you in Salem and look forward to continuing to serve you as we work towards healthy lives, in a healthy community, on a healthy planet.
Gratefully,
Maxine Dexter, MD
Oregon State Representative
House District 33
Resources
Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s office has compiled an exhaustive list of COVID resources here.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline | 1-800-273-TALK (8255)- Crisis Text Line | Text HOME to 741741
Oregon Youthline | Call 877-968-8491 or text teen2teen to 839863 between 4pm - 10pm to text with another teen.
National Youth Crisis Hotline | 1-800-442-HOPE (4673)
Housing assistance: Family Promise of Beaverton is committed to helping children and their families affected by homelessness in the Beaverton area. (https://www.familypromiseofbeaverton.org/#homepage)
Housing assistance: Community Housing Fund focuses on providing affordable housing and works on community projects.
Housing assistance: Community Action helps pay rent and help to get people in need of housing.
Housing assistance, utility assistance, food assistance: United Way of the Columbia-Willamette provides access to critical services like housing assistance and utility assistance and access to food.
Utility assistance: Oregon Energy Fund is a 30-year-old nonprofit that provides energy bill assistance to low-income Oregonians in support of household stability.
Utility assistance: EnergyTrust helps people save money and energy.
Disability assistance: Plan For Work services help individuals with disabilities and provide different services to those in need.
Youth assistance: New Avenues for Youth provides meals, showers, laundry, respite from the streets, engagement activities, and legal counsel.
Community assistance: Oregon Solutions solves community problems using a problem-solving system.
Transportation assistance: Trimet has a reduced fare for low-income rider and seniors age 65+.
Food assistance, water bill assistance, and grants, utility assistance: Care To Share coordinates assistance to families and individuals who seek emergency food and other basic necessities.
Food assistance: Mercy Corps Northwest provides assistance for community members returning from prison.
Food assistance, housing assistance, utility assistance, disability assistance: Department of County Human Services ensures that everyone can reach their potential and contribute to communities.
Follow Representative Dexter on social media to stay connected!
