Stories from Sometimes a Great Podcast - Dec. 1, 2025: Season 1, Episode 28
From a moving office party to maintaining statewide momentum, this edition heads out with a full itinerary: one “Transformation”al December deadline, and a travel-themed tour through four examples of the Magnificent Seven: the new Milton-Freewater office, fresh ERG membership updates, ODHS in the Veteran’s Day Parade, and a statewide Stand Down recap. Then, as always, we’ll wrap the whirlwind in a Writer’s Round-Up that tries to stick the Steve on landing.
Dr. Bethany Grace Howe — Communications
Dr. Bethany Grace Howe
The Monday, December 8 All-Staff Office Hours at 2 p.m. will bring ODHS employees a comprehensive look at where the agency’s Transformation work stands — and where it is heading next. This month’s session features several major updates, featuring a summary of progress since the last All-Staff Office Hours. This will include the latest insights from administrative and regional design efforts. Staff can expect a clear explanation of how these pieces fit into the broader redesign of ODHS operations and what changes will matter most for day-to-day work.
The meeting begins with a high-level overview of all Transformation accomplishments as leaders walk through completed activities across the project, offering employees a structured recap of what has moved forward, what is nearing completion, and which areas are now transitioning into implementation planning. This segment is designed to help staff see the “big picture” of the agency’s progress and understand how each workstream contributes to service improvements.
The meeting will focus on two interconnected components of the Transformation model: administrative hubs and regional design. The meeting will explain what hubs are, and what functions they will support. There will also be a preview of the updated Transformation timeline. This segment will help staff understand upcoming milestones, when to expect new decisions, and how the next phases of work will roll out.
Employees are encouraged to attend the session live or review materials afterward to stay current with the Transformation work that will shape agency operations in the year ahead. To sign up, go to the Transformation OWL page.
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Nov. 26, 2025
Resource Guides now available to support families during fast federal changes
The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (OIRA) has released new resource guides to help staff and community partners support individuals and families during a time of fast-changing federal policies. Many people across Oregon are facing uncertainty about safety, benefits and where to find reliable information. These resources were created to give clear, steady guidance to help people make informed decisions.
Many in our communities — especially mixed-status and refugee households —are managing complex challenges right now. We see the stress individuals and families are feeling and many are asking for trusted information they can use to make decisions. OIRA developed these guides so staff and partners can respond with compassion, respect and clarity.
What the new guides provide
The guides include practical tools, steps people can take during uncertainty and plain-language explanations of key topics. They are designed for agency staff, community partners and for individuals and families.
The new guides are available on the OIRA website and include:
These materials offer clear information and reliable contacts. Many translations are in progress so that more communities can access the support they need.
Red Cards available in many languages
OIRA also has printed “Know Your Rights” Red Cards available in 10 languages: Arabic, Amharic, French, Pashto, Spanish, Ukrainian, Dari, Somali, Haitian Creole, and Russian. Additional languages are available online for download.
Partner organizations who need printed Red Cards can request them by emailing oira.info@odhsoha.oregon.gov. OIRA can mail copies or deliver them locally.
ODHS offices can print Red Cards on site or place a print order through Publications and Creative Services.
Thank you
Thank you for staying engaged and informed during these tumultuous times. We recognize direct and indirect impacts for those we serve, our employees and the communities of Oregon. We cannot make this experience ‘easy’ for people affected, but your steady presence and empathy do make a difference. When individuals and families are supported, they are better able to stay safe, stay connected, and find the resources they need.
If you work with partners or families who may benefit from these tools, please share the guides and help connect people to trusted information.
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Nov. 24, 2025
It was 8:30 in the morning. Seven men and women sat around a large conference table. Five other people were on the Teams call virtually on the big screen in front of them.
The group was part of the ODHS Incident Management Team recently stood up in Salem as part of Governor Tina Kotek’s Executive Order “Declaring a Hunger Emergency to Protect Oregonians from Suspension of Federal Supplemental Assistance program (SNAP).”
The group was led by Ed Flick, the director of the ODHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management. A list of objectives was scrawled in green Magic Marker across two white boards on the wall behind where Flick paced, directing team members.
The IMT is working with partners across the state to keep track of food access and strengthen current food systems.
The main tasks include:
- Finding individuals and families who don’t have food or are at high risk of running out.
- Watching food supply levels in communities statewide.
- Helping move food to areas that need it most.
- Coordinating actions between state agencies to make delivery faster and easier.
- Checking and tracking efforts from district and local offices.
- Supporting the Oregon Food Bank and other community food networks.
- Sharing information so communities know what help is available.
Flick also was pushing hard to get 1,500 food boxes filled and delivered to the most vulnerable people. He directed a team member to order the needed food. “Our main effort is to get food into the community and to those most vulnerable,” Flick said.
This was just one of the intense meetings of the day. It was like an action-adventure movie watching the room of people – some in cubicles clacking away on their computers, some talking on the phone sounding urgent. Small groups formed around someone’s desk checking in with each other to get the tasks at hand done for the minute, the hour, the day.
Flick talked about the actions needed from the IMT right now. He was in his office standing up while eating a slice of pizza left over from the day before. On the table were copies of the Governor’s Executive Order. A plastic water bottle was half full on the table. His coat hung from the corner of a shelf. Someone stopped in to give him a can of Coke. Flick looked up and thanked the person.
Flick laid out exactly the goal and directive from the Executive Order: “Do everything we can with the limited resources we have. ODHS is in a position to take this leadership role. We provide support to people every day through our partnerships in the community. We are doing this work while also continuing to do the disaster work in Central Oregon and in The Dalles for the people who lost homes in the wildfires,” he said.
OREM has about 50 staff members who work to provide food, water and housing to people in disasters such as floods, storms, freezing temperatures and wildfires.
On the white board written in red marker Flick had written:
- Help people find food in their communities.
- Build community capacity to provide food.
Other meetings filled the day, such as the Cooperators Meeting, which was with local emergency managers and other community services. There was the Communication Meeting with a PowerPoint describing the rollout of information that was to be done for people on SNAP, for ODHS partners, for the Legislature and for staff.
And that was just one day in the Department Operations Center.
Now that the federal government shutdown has ended and SNAP benefits are restored, there is still an ongoing need for food across Oregon. According to the Oregon Food Bank: “While SNAP benefits in Oregon are restored for the month of November, we cannot look away. While the restoration of November benefits brings short-term relief, it also reminds us how easily policy decisions can disrupt access to food and why we must stay engaged.”
The ODHS Incident Management Team will continue its work throughout the declared food emergency to make sure the people in Oregon have access to the food they need and also to use the information to be better prepared in any future disasters.
Read the Governor’s Executive Order No. 25-27.
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Nov. 5, 2025
A Stand Down in military parlance is a place that is away from the front lines. It’s a place for rest and recovery, a place of security and safety, a place to take care of oneself.
Today, the term is also used for large-scale events that provide support to Veterans who are homeless or about to be homeless. Stand Downs are also for Veterans who have unmet needs offering them food, shelter, clothing, health care benefits, job placement and training, legal help – even haircuts and chair massages. The Stand Downs offer and companionship and connection with their community — all in in a single location. About 200 to 400 Veterans come to these events.
Veterans Employee Resource Group volunteers at Stand Downs
The Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) members have been a vital part of the Stand Downs throughout the state. The VERG volunteers bring hygiene kits to give out to Veterans. The kits include items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving gel, soap, shampoo, deodorant, sunscreen, toilet tissues, a small towel, comb, socks, nail clippers, nail file and band aids – things give someone a fresh start for a few days. VERG has brought the hygiene kits to seven Stand Downs this year held in Salem (twice), Albany, Eugene, White City, Grants Pass and La Grande.
“It’s heart breaking sometimes,” April Barrett, VERG Statewide Chairperson, said. “Within five minutes of talking with some of the houseless or near houseless Veterans at these Stand Downs you can change their whole week and outlook. They come in dejected and fearful and then are being treated like a brother or sister – it’s profound. You can see their whole-body change from sad, resigned, hunched over to standing tall and cracking jokes.” Barrett, an Air Force Veteran, works for ODHS in the Trauma Aware Program.
Cameron Russell, is the VERG Financial Officer and works as a Case Manager and Family Coach in the Self-Sufficiency Program. He also volunteers at the Stand Downs.
“I do this because I was in the Marine Corps for eight and a half years. Helping others is a passion of mine. It fills me with energy to help people find resources, navigate systems and to help Veterans navigate their own journeys – and to help the families of service members,” Russell said.
Members from other ODHS Employee Resource Groups (ERG) also help out at Stand Downs and other events. VERG has given 100 hygiene kits to each ERG. Russell got Anna DeMarco from WELD, Women’s Equity Leadership Development, interested in helping at the Stand Downs, even though she is not a Veteran. She works as a Human Services Specialist for the Oregon Eligibility Partnership. DeMarco explains why she volunteers at the Stand Downs:
“I always had a special place in my heart for people who serve our country. I’ve had family members and friends who have been in the military. It gives me great joy and satisfaction – just making a connection with the Veterans hearing the stories they tell and how it evokes their memories of serving. It just hits me really hard. One of best things I saw was at the Lane County Stand Down. There was this man in his World War II uniform, in full regalia, walking around. He looked so proud. Makes me feel very happy and proud that I live in a country where people choose to go and defend the rest of us so we can be free and have the opportunities that we have.
Makes me happy talking to them, especially connecting with Vietnam War Veterans. They seem to be so happy. They talk about it like it was the best part of their lives. We all know it wasn’t the best. It just shows you what they are made of. They’re made of a different kind of fabric.”
Why do Veterans need services?
“One of biggest things is that Veterans are service-oriented. They are programmed to serve,” Russell said. “Then when they get out of the service, they are so used to serving they have a hard time asking for help. Asking for help goes against everything they were taught when they were in the service. They don’t ask for help. They help others. The Stand Downs’ message is ‘This is what we want to do for you. We’re here to help you’. We offer help in a way not to make them feel bad, but to be celebrated for being a Veteran.”
More about Stand Downs
Stand Down events in Oregon are organized by the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs and other partners. The history of Stand Down events goes back to 1988 in San Diego. Vietnam War Veterans Robert Van Keuren and Jon Nachison, Ph.D., with support from Vietnam War Veterans of San Diego, organized the first Stand Down to offer Veterans who were homeless a single location to get a wide-array of services and supplies. Their grassroot effort has grown nationwide with hundreds of Stand Down events providing food, medical and legal aid, housing help and job counseling for Veterans who are homeless.
Information about Stand Downs for 2026 is not available at this time.
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Nov. 19, 2025
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, Cameron Russell, a Family Coach with District 5 (D5), shared that it was an honor to drive the D5 ODHS van in the 74th annual Linn County Veteran's Day Parade. The Linn County Veteran’s Day Parade is billed as the largest Veteran’s Day Parade west of the Mississippi. This year, 50,000 people lined the streets of Albany to honor our country's Veterans. The Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) also attended the Washington County Veteran's Stand Down on Nov. 7, 2025.
Thank you to Frank Garcia, HSS4 Lead with the VEC and Chair for the District 4 (D4) chapter of VERG, who was also in attendance staffing the tabling event during the Parade and taking photos.
Thank you to all veterans for your service, and a special thanks to VERG and all Veterans who work in Oregon and are currently struggling with many different things.
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Nov. 12, 2025
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Employee Resource Group (ERG) Mentoring Program quarterly newsletter serves as a resource for current and prospective participants. It features upcoming events, mentor/mentee feedback, and professional development tools.
Launched in March 2022, the program supports staff growth through tailored mentoring opportunities, aligning with ODHS's values from the Equity North Star, RiSE organizational culture, and Trauma Aware frameworks.
ODHS Employee Resource Group Member Application
Use this form to apply or renew membership to an ODHS ERG. For every ERG you would like to join, a separate application is required.
Prior to completing this form, you MUST get permission from your supervisor to participate in the ERG program. A notification email will be sent to your supervisor including which ERG you have joined once this application has been submitted.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are open to any ODHS employee, including those on trial service, regardless of protected class status. Note that ERGs may have some restrictions based on job-related criteria, such as management service or geographical area. ERG membership is valid for two years from the date of submission unless you either are removed through due process, resign, or change jobs within ODHS.
For more information:
https://dhsoha.sharepoint.com/teams/Hub-ODHS-OEMS/SitePages/ERGs.aspx
Member Information
All current ODHS employees, including those on trial service, are eligible to join an ERG as a member regardless of their protected class status. By policy, non-ODHS employees are not eligible, but may apply as a "guest" with certain restrictions. Guests may not vote in elections nor can they hold a senior officer position.
State of Oregon Employee Number
ERG Information
You must submit a separate application for each ERG you wish to join. Regardless of the number of ERGs you join, the combined total ERG hours should not exceed 8 hours/month for regular members and 16 hours/month for ERG Officers, unless granted an exception by your supervisor.
Supervisory Permission
It is your responsibility as the applicant to secure permission from your supervisor to participate in the ODHS ERG program PRIOR to submitting this form. Failure to do so will invalidate your application for membership. We recommend this permission be documented in writing via a simple email kept for your records. If you are applying as a guest, you may enter "N/A" for the fields below.
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Nov. 17, 2025
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Milton-Freewater office plans to move into a new location Monday, December 8. The office will move from its current location at 309 N. Columbia Street to 151 Sykes Boulevard, Suite A.
The new office will include Self-Sufficiency (SSP), Oregon Eligibility Partnership, Child Welfare (CW), Aging and People with Disabilities and Vocational Rehabilitation programs. Also, several community partners will be in the new office on select days, including: Oregon Employment Department, Training Employment Consortium and Domestic Violence Services. The office will be open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 18 staff members will begin moving out of their former building and into the new one Friday, December 5.
“It will be such a meaningful change, and we’re truly excited about the new office,” Dianna Ilaoa, SSP District Manager, said. “This isn’t just a new building — it’s a space created with care for our staff, our clients and the community we serve. We hope everyone who walks through the doors feels supported, welcomed and valued.” Lidwinner Machado is the Child Welfare Manager for the Milton-Freewater area.
The new office has an indoor and an outdoor play area for children. The space is designed to be trauma-informed, with calming colors, quite spaces, white noise for privacy in conversations and modern, comfortable furniture for client visits. There will be increased bus service in the area for greater convenience to people coming to the new office. ODHS will be leasing half of the 151 Sykes Boulevard building. They had been in the old building for more than 30 years.
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