September 14, 2021 – Community Check-In
Community updates
Welcome new participants
Naomi Ulstead (503-432-5990; nulsted@belloniranch.org) – new Executive Director of Bob Belloni Ranch
Rachael Wilson (541-776-6285; rwilson@or.easterseals.com) – EasterSeals Oregon Senior Community Service Employment Program, matching seniors with job opportunities in nonprofits and government agencies, looking for resources/job opportunities/connections
Maddix Vickers (mvickers@allianceor.org) – HIV Alliance Volunteer Coordinator
Jordan McLaren (jmclaren@wfall.org) – Waterfall Community Health Center Behavioral Health Navigator
Amanda Brown (541-824-3010; amandabrown@cvhospital.org) – new hospital social worker at Coquille Valley Hospital, looking to connect with everyone who has resources to support communities members of Coos County
Annie Donnelly (swograntplan@outlook.com) – United Way of Southwestern Oregon Grants Project Manager, providing free technical assistance and direct grant writing consultation to small and volunteer nonprofits through one-year pilot program
Future meeting ideas
Housing (tentatively November)
Funder roundtable (tentatively December)
Employment resources (Teri Moore can lead)
LGBT+
Trauma informed care
Community updates
Food security
Pamela Winebarger and Olivia Davis (Brookings Harbor Community Helpers) – food bank and help center, wraparound services for people affected by COVID-19. Services are expanding! Fresh Food for Seniors will provide fresh fruit and vegetables to seniors receiving SNAP benefits twice a week, October -December. Also will provide PPE. Getting new clients all the time. Used to have a school ‘grab and go’ program for any youth, now limited to students enrolled in school.
Note from Kelcy Szetela and Cambria Turnbow (ODHS) – SNAP recipients currently receive the full allotment, this will end at some point. Food stamp benefits roll over month to month.
Bear Wear (Bear Cupboard, Coquille) – seeing less clients with food stamp benefits continuing, but still serving many families each week.
Youth
Margie House (Curry 4-H) – held the County Fair this year. Downturn in enrollment last year. Will be offering virtual programming (free statewide babysitter training, youth preparedness initiative) and limited in-person/hybrid programs. Also focusing on supporting volunteers and emerging needs.
Britney Forbes (Coos Drop) – still doing virtual support and just started in-person 1:1s. Clothing closet available. Weekly events include self-care boxes, tie dye. Thursday: virtual student support group, Tuesdays: young parent support group. Providing art kits, food boxes, other items in need from youth.
Naomi Ulstead (Bob Belloni Ranch) – independent living program has seen an increased need in housing. Meeting with youth 1:1, organizing in person group event for October. School starting soon at the Ranch.
Scott Cooper (AYA) – GED program is off to a slow start, looking to recruit and locate kids for the program. Biggest problem is housing. Also seeing increase in self-harming behaviors. Collaboratively working with Naomi and Melinda to address challenges.
Melinda Torres (The ARK Project, homeless youth liaison) – having a lot more unaccompanied youth come to office. Clothing, free laundry, showers, resources available for homeless youth and families. Transportation is also an issue. The ARK Project is open full time M-Th 1-5pm, appointments in the morning. Located behind Marshfield HS.
Erlette Upshaw (Coos Elderly Services) – has LOTS of backpacks to give away! Contact Erlette at erletteu@cooselderly.org.
Health care
Steve Nagel (Coast Community Health) – still doing rapid tests, going out into the community to test and provide vaccines.
Amanda Brown (Coquille Valley Hospital) – seeing cases of COVID and having issues with many of the same issues – placement issues and issues finding caregivers for patients who need support at home after their acute care needs have resolved but still need support at home
ODHS
Zachary Richard (D7 SNAP Navigator) – emerging need to keep up with ever-changing services available and organizational operating hours. Clients are fatigued from uncertainty.
Linda Morton Hunter (APD) – consumers are meeting conditions for assisted living but not able to move into facilities due to COVID. Struggle to find home care workers to work in individuals’ homes. Seeing an uptick in number of homeless individuals meeting criteria but it’s difficult to find placements, working with St Tim’s/CORE/Curry Homeless Coalition to find things like clothing, toiletries that APD is not able to provide when someone moves into a placement. State employees are under the governor’s mandate for vaccinations, may see an impact to staff and services.
Doreen Kelly (South Coast Hospice) – anticipating loss of health care workers due to vaccination mandate. Also seeing a huge toll on patient caregivers (loss of social/emotional support and lack of respite).
Whitney Warr – significant backlog of One System work, staff working tirelessly to catch up. Working with Curry Homeless Coalition to provide services to homeless residents at the Gold Beach APD parking lot Thursdays 10am-2pm.
Ideas to address social isolation
Coos Drop has a lot of variety in their activities to try to address education, art, connections. Hosting a virtual scavenger hunt soon. Incentives help with motivation – zoom fatigue is a challenge.
South Coast Hospice is starting a Pen Pal program with patients and caregivers.
Coos Elderly Services has a volunteer call clients once a month to check in.
Cheri Forster shares COVID-friendly events with members.
ODHS (Starla) sends out Positivity Project Oregon emails with daily positivity challenges and monthly themes. https://www.oregonpositivity.org/
Employment
Teri Moore (WorkSource Coos, 971-707-1802 or Teri.L.Moore@Oregon.Gov) – federal program extensions have ended. If someone did not have wages throughout the pandemic they are not eligible for a new unemployment claim. Supportive services are available to SNAP recipients, employment services are available to anyone looking for work. Now open M-F 8:30am-5pm. Jobs are available – over 600 job listings currently.
Maria Walker (WorkSource Curry, Maria.Walker@oregon.gov) – all services listed above are available for Curry residents too.
Community
Gordon Clay provides a summary of county-by-county data to the Curry County BOC every other week. No counties have seen a reduction in severity of cases.
Gordon Clay – Suicide Awareness and Prevention month. RUOK brochure about warning signs and how to respond is now available to Coos organizations. Contact Bonnie Ell to place an order (bonnie.ell@advancedhealth.com).
Ariana Ryzebol provides Signs Ask Validate Encourage & Expedite (SAVE) Training – Ariana.Ryzebol@va.gov
Out of the Darkness auction: https://www.32auctions.com/cooscountyootd
Lualhati Anderson (Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative) – the South Coast Older Adult Work Group is hosting the 5th Annual Healthy Aging Conference; open to all Sept 23-24. The OABHI is also offering Free QPR Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Training on Sept 16 and Sept 20 and once a month.
Emily McConathy (Connections Case Management) – serves adults with disabilities. Celebrating 20 years serving Coos, Curry and Douglas Counties.
Britney Forbes (Coos Drop) looking for drivers ed teachers!
Rachael Wilson (EasterSeals) – having mobility issues with clients. Looking for assistance with resources.
Grant opportunities
Coquille Tribal Community Fund (https://www.coquilletribe.org/?page_id=2489 is open now through October 31, selected applicants will need to turn in applications by November 30.
Annie Donnelly is working on a list of upcoming grant opportunities that will be shared with the group.
South Coast Social Services Connect meetings will continue virtually through year-end, but we are looking to host smaller in-person regional networking meetings as COVID permits.