NWJP is focused on supporting efforts to fund a number of programs that our client community needs: the Climate Change Fund, the Home Fund and Universal Representation.  These funds are part of the larger Oregon Worker Relief Fund, which advocates created during the pandemic to help undocumented Oregonians survive when workplaces were shuttered.  

The Climate Change Fund grew out of the rulemaking on extreme heat and wildfire smoke.  Advocates realized that Oregonians who do not qualify for unemployment insurance, including undocumented workers, need a way to be paid when they have to miss work due to climate emergencies.  We are asking for $9 million to replenish this fund.

The Home Fund provides financial relief to immigrant Oregonians at risk of eviction and homelessness.  NWJP hears from workers every week who are at risk of eviction or who have recently been evicted.  We are asking for $6 million for this fund, which is a drop in the bucket of what is needed during our current housing crisis.  

Finally, Universal Representation (U-Rep) is the idea that all immigrant Oregonians need legal support during immigration proceedings.   Studies make clear that immigrants without legal counsel are more likely to be deported.  Oregon passed U-Rep in 2022, but the current funding does not meet the great need for this support.  The request is $7.5 million.