Director's Message

Gary Weeks

February 4, 2005 To: DHS employees From: Gary Weeks, Director

As many of you already know, our clients can be reluctant participants in programs designed to move them toward self-sufficiency, employment, and greater independence. These programs result in good outcomes for clients as evidenced by the following story.

When a young Philomath mother came into an Oregon Department of Human Services office to apply for public assistance, she was told she was expected to attend daily life-skills classes.

"I was ticked. I didn't think it was fair that with four kids, they would make me go through life-skills classes," explained the Benton County mother.

Her negative attitude changed when, a few days into the class, she heard a motivational speaker who told her story about how she turned her life around and got off public assistance. After completing the classes and working her way up through a number of entry level positions, this former client is now working in a local hospital attending physicians and nurses with labor and deliveries.

She says DHS "had a bunch of programs that really helped me," including getting her car running and helping find work clothes. She says she is thankful that she was required to take the steps she needed to help turn her life around or "it never would have happened."

A national leader

The department has led the nation in various employment-related initiatives including helping people with disabilities become job-ready and find work. Consider the following examples:

• Oregon was the first state to have a statewide Employment Initiative for people with disabilities. This has enabled people with disabilities to go to work without losing needed personal assistants and other medical help. Oregon is considered a national leader in this area.
• Because so many TANF clients come to DHS with alcohol and drug and mental health challenges, Oregon has received a federal waiver to permit treatment to be considered employment activities -- as these services are essential for people to become job-ready.
• When it comes to increasing and improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities, Oregon is exceeding most federal standards established by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). In 2003, Oregon's Office of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services passed five of the six indicators and all three of the primary indicators.

The department -- and its many local partners including community colleges, the Employment Department, businesses, faith-based organizations and Community Action Agencies -- has a number of employment programs, initiatives, and ways to help clients become more independent and self-sufficient. Below is a sampling of some of the varied employment programs available.

The JOBS program helps people on public assistance with employment and training. JOBS Plus helps place people in limited-duration training positions with private employers.

The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services works in partnership with the community and with businesses to develop employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The department has proposed some additional ways this next biennium to work with employers to further improve these services.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program serves persons with low incomes who are 55 years old or older and have poor employment prospects. The program provides useful community services and fosters individual economic self-sufficiency through training and job placement in unsubsidized jobs.

The DHS child welfare Independent Living Program is designed to assist youths who are or were in foster care to become independent adults. Youths, age 14 or older, receive training and classes to help prepare them to live independently, including learning job skills.

More than simply dollars earned

If you ask the Benton County mom what the rewards have been for her in going through the job-ready programs, she lists many things she is thankful for.

For starters, in eight years she went from welfare to $6 an hour at McDonald's to $13 an hour working at the local hospital.

She has a medical certification that will help guarantee her future employment.

And she has been recommended to be a motivational speaker herself, following in the footsteps of the woman who helped her see that welfare isn't an option.

"My whole life turned around," she said (knowing that) "I wasn't going to be on welfare anymore."

Helping the hungry

In the times we live in today, getting a job doesn't necessarily guarantee enough money to make ends meet all month.

Statistics have shown us that in the year 2000 alone, a full fifth of Oregon's renters were paying more than half their incomes to rent, with a number of them finding themselves in need of additional help from food banks and others. And the poverty rate among working families with children in Oregon in the year 2000 was twice the level of that of the late 1970s, putting more pressure on food resources.

We have an opportunity to help those in need as we launch the annual Governor's State Employees Food Drive this month. Our department has consistently been one of the leaders in this important effort to help others and our employees have given generously to help feed the hungry. I would ask that we keep up this tradition and our excellent food drive track record at DHS and continue to look for creative and healthy ways to raise money for this effort.

Food for thought

" If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path." - Author unknown