The Next Door: Supporting the community with the Oregon Worker Relief Fund

Image Credit: Oregon Worker Relief Fund

From The Next Door:

By Judy Bankman

Through a statewide partnership, local non-profit The Next Door has successfully assisted in the distribution of over $2.5 million in cash assistance from the Oregon Worker Relief Fund (OWRF) and the Quarantine Fund (QF).

These two funds support workers who lost their jobs due to Covid-19 or had to quarantine due to Covid-19 but are not eligible for unemployment insurance and federal stimulus relief due to their immigration status.

The OWRF and QF began in March 2020 when a coalition of community-based organizations around the state came together to discuss how best to support workers who were impacted by Covid-19 and were deemed ineligible for government assistance programs.

The coalition decided to put local, trusted organizations like The Next Door in the role of community navigators, which connect individuals and families to available funds.

Next, the Innovation Law Lab, an organization made up of lawyers, engineers, and organizers, created an online, confidential platform for navigators to submit and review applications and disburse funds. The Oregon Worker Relief Coalition then brought their fully-formed disaster-relief plan to the Oregon Legislature, which allocated $10 million to the fund.

Now, more than $85 million has been allocated to the fund.

Once the program was in place, navigators at The Next Door did extensive outreach. Community health workers know the community well, so they contacted those they knew would be eligible for the OWRF. The six TNDI navigators then submitted applications as fast as they could.

Eligible community members received up to $1,720 through the OWRF and up to $1,290 through the QF, either via check or PayPal. Checks have been the payment method with the lowest barriers, but according to TNDI program manager Nik Portela, PayPal became an opportunity to acquaint many people with a new form of technology and to receive funds immediately.

The OWRF payments went toward essentials like rent, phone bills, prescriptions, and dental appointments. Several times, a check arrived after the recipient had died of Covid - and the funds went to pay for the funeral.

As of November 9th, TNDI disbursed $1.97 million through the OWRF, and $356,040 through the QF. These funds are unique because they target those who have been excluded from other forms of government assistance during Covid such as federal stimulus and safety net programs. Many people fall into this category. There are 90,000 Oregonians who have at least one undocumented family member , and it is estimated that in 2016, 110,000 undocumented immigrants were living in Oregon.

Immigrants are critical to the economy, making up 13% of the Oregon workforce and contributing $2.8 billion in federal taxes and $1.3 billion in state and local taxes. And of course, immigrants are an important part of many families and communities.

The OWRF has played a critical role in supporting thousands of immigrant Oregonians throughout the Covid pandemic and has filled a gap left by federal and state programs.

According to the May 2021 report released by the Oregon Worker Relief coalition, “What has made Oregon Worker Relief successful is not a handful of well-meaning, powerful people at the top. Instead, the program’s success can be attributed to the fact that it was designed for the community by the community, via a radically inclusive design process.”

Because community members and local organizations understood the needs of Oregon communities, they were able to put into place a system that worked.

“The Next Door was so grateful to be included in this life-changing initiative as one of the community-based navigating organizations at the very moment when we were trying to figure out how best to help those most in need,” says TNDI director, Janet Hamada. “Being able to connect our neighbors to OWRF was truly a privilege.”

The OWRF is similar to other cash assistance pilot programs around the country that offer “no strings attached” funds to specific communities, such as single mothers or people who were formerly in the foster care system. While limited research exists, evaluations of some pilot programs have shown positive outcomes of cash assistance without requirements.

One such program in Stockton, California, showed that recipients of $500/month cash assistance had improved mental health outcomes and higher levels of employment.

Several recipients of another pilot program called the Compton Pledge have started their own non-profits, which will support trauma-informed prison workshops and provide food for individuals experiencing houselessness. Mostly, people spend their money on their basic needs.

The OWRF offers a successful example of how a grassroots coalition can leverage its understanding of community strengths and needs to fill a critical gap. While our culture and our systems still have a long way to go in terms of supporting all individuals and families, the OWRF is a step in the right direction, and a model other communities might look toward to support immigrant families.