Social Services
Food benefits for low-income families at risk in a government shutdown, White House says
WASHINGTON — As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House on Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low-income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts. The White House released a state-by-state breakdown, estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, […]
Oregon auditors flag millions in misspent money in state agencies
Oregon Secretary of State auditors unearthed millions of misappropriated dollars and a lack of oversight and accountability in four state agencies, according to an audit released Wednesday. In all, state auditors flagged $35.2 million of questionable spending within the Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Housing and Community Services and Higher Education […]
Kotek announces details of $26 million to 26 rural counties to fight homelessness
Another slice of the more than $200 million allocated by the Legislature this session for homelessness is headed toward rural counties in Oregon. Gov. Tina Kotek announced Tuesday that 26 rural counties will receive a total of $26 million to get people off the street, out of their cars and away from other precarious situations […]
Low fertility rates, high housing prices mean fewer children in most states
Thirty-five states have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state borders in search of cheaper housing. Even in the 15 states that gained children, all but North Dakota experienced greater growth in the adult population, meaning children now […]
Former Oregon foster child sues Department of Human Services
A woman who spent 16 years of her childhood in the state’s foster care system is suing the Oregon Department of Human Services, alleging the agency placed her in foster homes where she suffered abuse and failed to protect her when they knew. The woman filed the $14.9 million lawsuit earlier this month in Multnomah […]
Court hears arguments in challenge of Oregon gender identity rule
A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday in a Malheur County woman’s challenge to state adoption policies in a lawsuit that will test the balance of religious freedom and protections for transgender children. Jessica Bates, who lives in Vale, sued the state in federal court in April, after the Oregon Department of Human Services blocked her […]
Oregon state caregivers ask Gov. Kotek to fire their boss
The union for more than 600 Oregon state workers assigned to group homes for disabled people wants Gov. Tina Kotek to fire the Department of Human Services boss overseeing those employees. The request underscores festering tensions between Oregon Department of Human Services workers and managers of the agency’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit. For months, rank-and-file […]
Higher taxes on the wealthy would bolster Social Security, U.S. Senate Dems argue
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators debated Wednesday how best to resolve a funding cliff within Social Security that will lead to a quarter reduction in benefits in about a decade, absent action from Congress. Democrats on the Budget Committee, led by Chair Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, called for lawmakers to increase taxes on the country’s […]
Oregon approves $100 million to build nearly 650 affordable homes
The Oregon Housing Stability Council has approved spending more than $100 million to build nearly 650 affordable homes in urban and rural areas throughout the state.
Lawmakers approve $19.4 million for program for cash-strapped children’s program
For hundreds of Oregon’s most vulnerable children and youth, a state program gives them a chance to heal. Some have been homeless, abused or arrested. Others bounced from foster home to foster home, becoming calloused and fearful of abandonment. Their families cannot take care of them, and traditional counseling has failed. In one case, a […]
Republicans, Democrats strike a deal. Here’s how it will affect Oregonians.
The deal between legislative Republican and Democratic leaders softens two bills on abortion rights and gun control that had been at their heart of their negotiations. Republicans hailed the deal as a major victory because Democrats agreed to drop a provision that would have allowed minors younger than 15 to obtain an abortion without parental […]
Audit: Oregon Health Authority mishandled hundreds of thousands in federal mental health money
Federal auditors have flagged problems in the Oregon Health Authority’s oversight of mental health grants, including the potential misappropriation of more than half a million dollars. Their review, obtained by the Capital Chronicle in a public records request, shows the agency has failed to adequately inform a federally-mandated advisory council where money for programs to […]