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Welcome to local voices. I'm brad Ford. This week, Oregon
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is a week away from recriminalizing public use of small
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amounts of illegal drugs. Some counties are setting up deflection centers.
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Will explain multnom MC County's plans. OREGONOSHA is considering new
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rules for farmers who provide worker housing during hot summer months,
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and Oregon as an office that provides support for people
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with large amounts of student loan debt. On September first,
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Oregon recriminalizes public personal use of illegal drugs. Many Oregon
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counties whoill create deflection centers where people police stop with
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illegal drugs can be taken to get treatment instead of
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going to jail. Mulna MC County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson
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says the recriminalization of drugs is an opportunity to strengthen
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the handoff from law enforcement to behavioral health.
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Addiction and substance use disorders are one of the most
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critical issues are community faces. We're committed to improving the
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connections between our behavioral health systems and our law enforcement
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systems so that people do not fall through the cracks.
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We must offer people suffering from addiction alternatives to incarceration
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or we will be right back where we started. Treatment
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is the best route to recovery. People's lives are depending
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on opening more treatment options, and we are moving swiftly.
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To do so.
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Hospital four thousand and two gave law enforcement the tools
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to stop drugs coming into our communities. It also gave
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us the path to make sure that people who are
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addicted and possess a personal amount of drugs have a
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pathway to recovery and services. We have heard the need
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for a deflection program from community members and partners, and
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we've been given a clear mandate from our state legislature
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to prioritize this program in response to Hospital four thousand
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and two and to make sure that Maltnama County is
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ready to respond. There has been criticism about not having
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a plan, but we are building a deflection system that
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includes mobile outreach, leverages peer support, and finally creates a
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drop off center for law enforcement. I am standing here
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today with a building with a provider, a good neighbor, committee, security, transportation,
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and a clear understanding about what deflection is. I am
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thrilled that our provider, Turk House, is on the ground
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in Portland and is here with us today. They have
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a record of nearly fifty years of this work and
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I am so glad for this opportunity to day for
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you to hear from their CEO. These are seasoned providers.
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They will be writing on day one as they join
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this broader coalition committed to connecting people with treatment first
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before jail, so that more people struggling with addictions are
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like to recover, heal, and thrive. Today, these partners stand
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together to talk through what we're creating and what the
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impacts will be on our community. We already know many
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of these impacts because we know that treatment is the
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best route to recovery, that we must have a past
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to services for people who interact with law enforcement, that
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getting people connected to care and services must be our focus,
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and keeping people who need care out of jail will
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make our community stronger and safer. We are working diligently
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to make sure there are real paths for people possessing
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a personal amount of drugs away from our criminal justice
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system and towards healing, housing, and health. I look forward
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to our continued partnership.
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To do just that.
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Calden Police Chef Bob Day explains how the deflection process
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will work.
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One of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, Let's say, if
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we all think alike, no one is thinking. And I
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understand the frustration and the apparent disconnect and misunderstanding that
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has come across maybe in this process. And I'm just
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speaking from a guy from the inside, so it's not
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lost on me some of those challenges. But these are
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complex issues, and I really appreciate everybody's efforts in trying
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to weigh in to find a solution a starting point.
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As we are speaking right now, the operational teams for
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the Moulanman County Sheriff's Office, Aggression PD, and Portland PD
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are meeting to begin thinking of ways and strategizing ways
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to be able to operationalize this deflection program. It was
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critical that we got something started for our membership, recognizing
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that there are still going to be times ahead where
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we can evaluate its effectiveness, success, etc. Three primary things
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I want to share with you. One who's eligible for
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deflection under this agreement. Individuals stopped by law enforcement are
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eligible for deflection if they possess illegal drugs for personal use,
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they are not committing any other crimes, and they have
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not failed deflection within the prior thirty days. If they're
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on prolar, probation or supervision, they're still eligible for deflection,
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but their supervisors will be notified and kept in the
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loop of what's going on. What does successful deflection look like?
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And we agree that for starters, an individual has successfully
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engaged in deflection if they have completed all of the
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following a screening, received the service, ReViral, and engage with
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referred service as recommended by the screening within thirty days.
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We leave that that thirty day window gives them ample
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opportunity to try and take some responsibility for themselves as
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well as we understand the complicated network that they may
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be trying to navigate. We want to make sure that
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that happens within those thirty days. What are some of
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the limitations of deflection as we've currently structured it. If
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an individual fails any of the above steps, they will
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not be available for depletion for the following thirty days
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and would instead be arrested in charged if contacted by
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law enforcement during that time period. So there are some
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accountability standards put in there in terms of their reviirement
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of their participation. If they're contacted and they haven't engaged,
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then we will move towards arrestor citation.
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Weldan mc KEENNNY Sheriff Nicole Morrissey o'donald says, they'll be
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tracking how deflection is working.
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We understand the grave importance of data driven decision making,
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and it is also important to recognize that this framework
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for deflection was developed with what we are currently experiencing today,
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and the communities that each of us serves in are
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drastically different and they look different than five years ago
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with respect to the public safety needs and the additional
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behavioral health challenges. Our review will include, but it will
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not be limited to analyzing the date and location of
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each contact, demographic information, the connections that were provided to
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engage with treatment and or additional services, and the outcomes
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of those referrals, the experience of individuals involved in the
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deflection process, and those of the service partners utilizing practices
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developed in partnership with our Health Department and the provider
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to gather this feedback. We'll be looking at tracking both
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behavioral health outcomes as well as support provided to the
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individuals and their thoughts on the ways that support is
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helping them take the next steps, and our collective public
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safety needs. Our three agencies are working together to align
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our operational efforts. As mentioned by Chief Day, We'll be
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tracking what officers and deputies are seeing in our community,
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when and when deflection is utilized over entering the criminal
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justice system, as well as how often individuals engage in
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the required next steps as defined by their screening. Having
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these thirty day reviews will allow us to critically evaluate
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what is working and allow vast opportunity to adjust along
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the way. Accountability for individuals entering deflection is a shared
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responsibility of this group in our thirty day reviews. I
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am hopeful that we can identify the services that are
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missing from this initial framework and utilize our criminal justice
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system when it is needed. I do appreciate the collaborative
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work that is happening and ongoing with this group. Providing
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a path to deflection gives law enforcement another tool to
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help people in crisis get the resources and services that
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they desperately need, and also provides a pathway away from
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the criminal justice system when it's appropriate.
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Muloman County District Attorney Mike Schmid explains how deflection will
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work and how prosecutors will be involved.
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I want to emphasize this is a new program and
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we're building it from scratch. We've already made adjustments to
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our plan, taking into consideration the feedback we've received from stakeholders.
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That's a good thing. This is an iterative process, and
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I think that's exactly how it should work, evolving over time.
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What we have now, I believe, is a program that
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meets the intent of House Built four thousand and two.
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We can treat addiction like the health issue that it is,
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while also holding people accountable for their actions and how
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they impact our community. I've heard from law enforcement that
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what they really want, what they really need, is somewhere
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to take people suffering acutely from the impacts of addiction.
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I've heard from community members that they're tired of seeing
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people use drugs openly on our streets and in plain sight.
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And I've heard from others that they want to prioritize
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treatment rather than jail for people suffering from addiction. I
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empathize with all of that, and come September first, I
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think we're taking a step in the right direction of
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addressing those concerns. We all recognize that addiction and recovery
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is not a one transaction exchange. Because of the nature,
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it will require multiple attempts at treatment. That's why if
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deflection fails, conditional discharge is built into the criminal prosecution
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process in House built four thousand and two. We want
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to allow multiple opportunities to get people connected with treatment
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while still maintaining accountability. The bottom line is law enforcement
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needs tools to stop behavior that harms the community, and
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the goal needs to be to connect people with treatment,
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not incarceration, and I think this program works towards those goals.
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Bernard JB. Foster is CEO of Turk House, which will
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conduct addiction treatment for people who enter deflection.
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Turkhouse is a nonprofit drug and alcohol system that was
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created in nineteen seventy. Over those fifty years, we have
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grown to see over seventy thousand patients across our various
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continum of care facilities. We are extremely proud of the
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treatment model that we have in Baltimore, and we are
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hoping that we can also replicate that same sort of
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system of care over here in Normal County, Portland. In
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fiscal year twenty four, Turkhouse provided care for nearly eleven
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thousand patients in the Greater Baltimore community. Out of those,
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eleven thousand and eighty percent of the patients were deflected
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from the emergency department services. Out of those four thy
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sixty eight percent were able to stay sober for a
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good thirty days, and out of that sixty percent, a
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good forty percent were able to maintain sobriety for a year.
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Among our most significant accomplishments was the creation of the
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Maryland Crisis Stabilization Center and the Crisis Sobeering Services in
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twenty eighteen to help divert over those related patients from
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the emergency services. Our goal here is really to collaborate
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with the County, with various stakeholders who are behind me
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law enforcement, to be able to direct patients to the
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Deflection Center and hope they are able to receive services
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and stay engaging treatment. We want to thank the Chair
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of the Board, Chair Vega Peterson, and the rest of
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our team this wait.
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County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson announced the Deflection Center will
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not open on September first, more work is needed to
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get staffing and transportation in place. She says it will
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open in mid to late October. She says that they'll
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have mobile deflection vehicles available. September first, where officers can
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take people found with user amounts of illegal drugs to
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start the deflection process. She says there is still work
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to do before the mobile deflection vehicles are ready. Oregon
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farmers who provide housing for workers would have new rules
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to follow under a proposal OREGONOSHA is considering. Aaron Corvin
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with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services joins
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us on local voices. Aaron, what would these rules do?
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Yeah, so some of the highlights here so you know,
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here we are in summer, you know, with heat illness prevention.
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So our rule proposal would require sleeping areas with labor
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housing to basically through cooling devices, and that could include
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air conditioners to be capable of maintaining seventy eight degrees
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for example, when it's eighty degrees outside, or fifteen degrees
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below the outside temperature when it's eighty five degrees and above.
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So essentially, we're trying to make sure that occupants of
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labor housing are protected while they're using the housing. We
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already have heat illness prevention measures, safety measures when they're
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out working in the field. So this is a comprehensive
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measure that protects them both while they're in the field
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and while they're in the housing. And this is a
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significant improvement over what we have now for labor housing.
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So that's one highlight what we look at. For example,
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the mattresses that are provided for labor housing, we would
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be changing that. So no longer would operators be able
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to provide foam pads that is currently allowed. That would
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go away under this proposal. So they would have to
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provide mattresses four inch thickness as part of a sleeping arrangement.
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And it would also prohibit operators from providing a cop
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as a bed type, which is currently allowed. We also
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would be expanding sleeping areas operators would Operators would be
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required to provide at least fifty square feet per bed
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in sleeping rooms with bunk beds. That's up from the
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current forty square foot requirements. And we would also be
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requiring kitchen facilities. So although a lot of employers in
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Oregon and I think this bears we need to say this.
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It's important a lot of employers strive to do the
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right thing when it comes to labor housing and do
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provide kitchen facilities. This proposal really firms up that requirement
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across the board, that expectation to make sure that those
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kitchen facilities are being provided. Those are just among of
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what we're proposing here. So again I emphasize this is
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a comprehensive across the board change for a number of
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safety and health measures that affect labor housing for for
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folks who use for workers and their families who rely
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on this housing it's provided as a condition of employment
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by operators that we're proposing.
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What is the process this proposal now will go through.
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So we are proposing this is a rule making, So
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this is a transparent and public process. So we have
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a lot more work to do, and what we want
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to do is listen to listen to you, listen to
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folks who are going to provide us input on this process.
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We are ready, we have to. We still have more
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work to do because we expect to formally propose this
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rule by the into this month, so we have more
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work to do through the Secretary of States process when
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that occurs. Our expectation on that when that happens, we
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are ready to listen to folks and take comments. And
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there's going to be ample opportunity for public comment and
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input on this proposal, So we are not done yet.
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So we want to listen to folks and have them
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talk to us, and we're going to have a series
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of public hearings. We're you know, we're going to be
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taking a lot of public comment and a lot of
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input on this. And so we're not done yet and
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we've got a ways to go. So that's where we're
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at on.
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This undo the proposal. How would compliance be checked and
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would there be inspectors?
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So it's worth noting that currently Oreganosha has an inspection
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program and enforcement. So we have an enforcement program with
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respect to labor housing. So we have for a long time,
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uh been inspecting housing. So operators register their facilities with
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oregon Osha, so they become part of that program, and
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we enforced by exception. A lot of employers do the
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right thing. They you know, the you know our experiences
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that employers strive to do the right thing. But you know,
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we have an enforcement program in place. We have we
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don't give advanced notice in notice of inspection, so when
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we go out if we do identify violations, we we
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do we can issue citations, which which can carry penalties,
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and and we committed uh uh some time ago we
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committed to to our stakeholders. We let them know, both
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operators and our labor advocates, we committed to a comprehensive
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review of our labor housing requirements. And this is kind
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of the current turning point in that process. We committed
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to that, and our stakeholders, our partners have been aware
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of that along the way, and so this is the
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next turning point in that. And we do have an
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enforcement program that we use, and we also have a
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public education program that we try to inform folks and
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let them know about how they can comply. You know,
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we have public education and consultation too. It's not just
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about enforcement, So inspectors are part of it, but we
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also do our level best to work with folks so
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they know how to comply. We want to help them comply.
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We want operators to be successful in this. So it's
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not just about enforcement.
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It sounds like you have to be expensive to implement.
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Is the cost of farmers and ranchers considered in the
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planning process.
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It is absolutely considered in the planning process. In fact,
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we're required to consider it so and we have had
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a rule advisory committee in place even before we've gotten
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to this turning point of proposing and engaging with our
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stakeholdholders letting them know about this turning point we're at
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right now and this proposal. So we've had a rule
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Advisory Committee in place and where we've been engaging with operators, growers,
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our labor advocates, and they've been bringing us information about
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the costs. And you bet we are absolutely engaged with
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understanding the costs of this, and we will continue to
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evaluate and consider those costs, and that's going to be
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part of and I need to emphasize this because we
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discussed it earlier. When we do formally file through the
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Secretary of State's office this rule proposal, and everything right now,
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right now is transparent. Everybody can go to our website
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and look at the rule proposal. It's already up there.
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But when we formally propose, we're going to continue to
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take public comment on this, and the cost of this
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will continue to be evaluated and folks can talk to
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us about that. So we're required to do that and
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it's going to be continue to be part of the process.
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I think it also needs to be noted that not
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you know, when it comes down to the cost, not
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everyone is going to have to bear certain costs of this,
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because not everyone's going to have to bear the change
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of this, So some of these rule proposals don't necessarily
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affect everyone the same. Some folks are already doing some
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of these things that we're proposing. So some of these
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things are going to be things that folks are already
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doing and that we're firming up across the board as
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an expectation. But certainly we are going to be considering
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the potential costs. We don't make these We don't make
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these kinds of proposals or decisions in isolation.
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Would any kind of assistance be available for farmers and
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ranchers who might need help with the costs or is
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that something the legislature would have to do.
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So we do expect to. So this is something that's
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actually been approved by the legislature, and that is the
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Oregon Department of Agriculture does have five million dollars in
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grant funds that are available to growers for existing on
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farm housing to comply with this rule change. Now what
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we have to do those we have some steps to take,
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and we need to move through this rule proposal process,
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and once we get this implemented what we have committed to,
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and it's in our public communications that we announced we
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have committed to providing ORGANOSHA providing technical assistance to support
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the Oregon Department of Agriculture in providing that five million
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dollars to growers, to operators of labor housing so that
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they can be helped with that five million dollars for
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existing housing labor housing to make certain infrastructure improvements so
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that they can comply with these rule changes that we're
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looking at. So the bottom line is, yes, these rule
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proposals are not being done in a vacuum. There is
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funding available. And I would also emphasize that OREGONOSHA does
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not see this as something that's being done, you know,
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just on a rule basis. This is being done on
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a program level, from a funding aspect, and we don't
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see us doing this alone. We're doing this in conjunction
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with you know, we view this as the Oregon Department
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of Agriculture. We're doing it in partnership with them, and
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it's also a multi agency approach that we want to
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take on.
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This, Aaron, anything else you'd like to add.
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Again, you know, we see this as really a comprehensive
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approach to try and really improve labor housing for what
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we know are among the most vulnerable workers in Oregon.
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And we are doing this in the context of wanting
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to make this very practical for our stakeholders. From employer standpoint,
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we want them to be successful operators and to be
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able to successfully comply with those standards. So we look
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at this as from this from a balance standpoint, and
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we look at it from a comprehensive standpoint, and that's
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where we're at on this. This is our approach moving.
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Forward at Aaron Corvin with the Oregon Depropmty of Consumer
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and Business Services with details on new rules that are
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being considered for farm worker housing or Gudians having trouble
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with student loans can get help from the student loan umbuds.
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That's Lane Thompson. Lane. What does a student loan umbuds do?
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Yeah, so, I pretty much serve as a liaison between
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student loan borrowers and their servicers. So if folks are
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having issues with how their payments are being applied or
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what's being reported to the credit bureaus, I can kind
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of help navigate through those issues with folks.
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Student loans have been in the news a lot this year,
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their repayment plans and court battles. It can be confusing.
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Yeah, there certainly is a lot of confusion going on
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right now, and yeah, it's for a lot of different reasons.
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So one of the biggest issues your office is seeing
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and what's causing the confusion.
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Yeah. So the biggest question, or the most common question
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I get, is about public service loan forgiveness, and those
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questions just continue to come through, and those can be
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anything from does my employer count for public service loan
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forgiveness all the way through to I applied and did
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everything I'm supposed to do and haven't heard back, and
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what do I do now? So just kind of the
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nature of that program is a really big question because
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it was kind of revamped under this administration. So that's
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a big one. The other kind of really big question
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area right now is around the Income driven Repayment Plan.
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Save back student loans are difficult. It's a long process
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to get some people just asking whether they need to
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repay their loans.
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Yes, I definitely get questions like that. It's more generally
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it's more do I qualify for forgiveness? Right? So people
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just want to make sure they're taking advantage of every
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opportunity and trying to get all the information they can,
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and I often kind of come up as one of
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the resources that they trying to get that information from.
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So yes, I definitely do hear that. What I will
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tell you is that what I hear more often than
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anything else is I've been paying on these loans for
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a very long time. I'm doing my best to pay
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them off. Is there any relief for me?
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Student loan repayment has changed a lot, and debt is
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much higher because college is more expensive, and in some
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cases people actually owe more than they started with. How's
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that happen?
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Yeah, it's a great question, and there's two major factors
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at play there. One is the ever increasing price of college,
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and then the other one is this thing that we
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call negative amortization. So if someone's on an income driven
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repayment plan, they may not be making payments that are
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big enough to cover the interest every month. That interest
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in the past got added back onto the loan. They
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call it capitalization, and the loan balances increased. One of
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the major changes that the Biden administration made was more
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or less ending that negative amortization. So going forward, this
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should be less of a problem at this moment. There
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are forgiveness programs available for people who work in public service,
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for people who have total and permanent disabilities, and also
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for people who are defrauded by their schools. So those
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are kind of big categories of folks who There is
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applications for debt relief available to you today. There was
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also some federal rolemaking done early this year that may
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eventually lead to some more relief for folks.
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What do you recommend for people who are trying to
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figure out what to do?
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It's a great question, and then there's not a simple
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answer to that. The one thing is I would recommend
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everyone's start by going to studentaid dot gov and looking
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at what options are available. That studentaid dot gov platform
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is going to have all the applications, all the eligibility information,
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So that's one part of that answer. The other part
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is kind of more on the emotional and interpersonal side,
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And in terms of that, what I really recommend is
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that people speak more about their debt, and they talk
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to people and their family, They you know, ask for help.
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That might mean calling our office, really any way that
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they can reach out and be open about it, be
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vulnerable about it because it can be something that a
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lot of people experience shame about, and I don't think
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we need to. I don't think that helps us.
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What action do you recommend?
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So generally, I recommend that people take one of two
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strategies that their student debt strategy. One is, pay down
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every single dollar you have as fast as you can,
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make extra payments every month, do everything you can to
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pay those off. The other option is to get onto
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an income driven repayment plan and pay the least amount
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that you can pay for the term of that repayment plan.
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Neither of those options. Neither of those strategies include forbearance
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or deferment. However, forbearance or deferment are tools available for
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people who may not have other options. Generally, almost in
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every case, I'm going to recommend applying for an income
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driven repayment plan instead.
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How can people get in touch with the Oregon student
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on Bud's office.
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Yes, so where I would recommend starting in order to
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reach me is on our website, so that is Dfire
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Dotregon dot gov. And I can be reached directly at
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eight eight eight eight seven seven four eight nine four.
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Thanks Lane, that's Lane. Thompson, Oregon student loan on. But
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thanks for listening to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. You
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00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:22.799
can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio app under the
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podcast tab. Local Voices is a public affairs presentation from iHeartRadio.
1
00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:08.080
Welcome to local voices. I'm brad Ford. This week, Oregon
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00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:10.880
is a week away from recriminalizing public use of small
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amounts of illegal drugs. Some counties are setting up deflection centers.
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Will explain multnom MC County's plans. OREGONOSHA is considering new
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rules for farmers who provide worker housing during hot summer months,
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and Oregon as an office that provides support for people
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with large amounts of student loan debt. On September first,
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Oregon recriminalizes public personal use of illegal drugs. Many Oregon
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counties whoill create deflection centers where people police stop with
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illegal drugs can be taken to get treatment instead of
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going to jail. Mulna MC County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson
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says the recriminalization of drugs is an opportunity to strengthen
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the handoff from law enforcement to behavioral health.
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Addiction and substance use disorders are one of the most
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critical issues are community faces. We're committed to improving the
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connections between our behavioral health systems and our law enforcement
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systems so that people do not fall through the cracks.
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We must offer people suffering from addiction alternatives to incarceration
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or we will be right back where we started. Treatment
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is the best route to recovery. People's lives are depending
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on opening more treatment options, and we are moving swiftly.
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To do so.
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Hospital four thousand and two gave law enforcement the tools
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to stop drugs coming into our communities. It also gave
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us the path to make sure that people who are
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addicted and possess a personal amount of drugs have a
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pathway to recovery and services. We have heard the need
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for a deflection program from community members and partners, and
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we've been given a clear mandate from our state legislature
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to prioritize this program in response to Hospital four thousand
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and two and to make sure that Maltnama County is
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ready to respond. There has been criticism about not having
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a plan, but we are building a deflection system that
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includes mobile outreach, leverages peer support, and finally creates a
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drop off center for law enforcement. I am standing here
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today with a building with a provider, a good neighbor, committee, security, transportation,
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and a clear understanding about what deflection is. I am
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thrilled that our provider, Turk House, is on the ground
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in Portland and is here with us today. They have
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a record of nearly fifty years of this work and
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I am so glad for this opportunity to day for
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you to hear from their CEO. These are seasoned providers.
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They will be writing on day one as they join
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this broader coalition committed to connecting people with treatment first
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before jail, so that more people struggling with addictions are
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like to recover, heal, and thrive. Today, these partners stand
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together to talk through what we're creating and what the
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impacts will be on our community. We already know many
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of these impacts because we know that treatment is the
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best route to recovery, that we must have a past
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to services for people who interact with law enforcement, that
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getting people connected to care and services must be our focus,
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and keeping people who need care out of jail will
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make our community stronger and safer. We are working diligently
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to make sure there are real paths for people possessing
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a personal amount of drugs away from our criminal justice
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system and towards healing, housing, and health. I look forward
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to our continued partnership.
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To do just that.
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Calden Police Chef Bob Day explains how the deflection process
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will work.
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One of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, Let's say, if
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we all think alike, no one is thinking. And I
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understand the frustration and the apparent disconnect and misunderstanding that
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has come across maybe in this process. And I'm just
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speaking from a guy from the inside, so it's not
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lost on me some of those challenges. But these are
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complex issues, and I really appreciate everybody's efforts in trying
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to weigh in to find a solution a starting point.
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As we are speaking right now, the operational teams for
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the Moulanman County Sheriff's Office, Aggression PD, and Portland PD
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are meeting to begin thinking of ways and strategizing ways
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to be able to operationalize this deflection program. It was
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critical that we got something started for our membership, recognizing
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that there are still going to be times ahead where
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we can evaluate its effectiveness, success, etc. Three primary things
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I want to share with you. One who's eligible for
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deflection under this agreement. Individuals stopped by law enforcement are
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eligible for deflection if they possess illegal drugs for personal use,
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they are not committing any other crimes, and they have
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not failed deflection within the prior thirty days. If they're
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on prolar, probation or supervision, they're still eligible for deflection,
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but their supervisors will be notified and kept in the
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loop of what's going on. What does successful deflection look like?
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And we agree that for starters, an individual has successfully
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engaged in deflection if they have completed all of the
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following a screening, received the service, ReViral, and engage with
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referred service as recommended by the screening within thirty days.
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We leave that that thirty day window gives them ample
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opportunity to try and take some responsibility for themselves as
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well as we understand the complicated network that they may
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be trying to navigate. We want to make sure that
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that happens within those thirty days. What are some of
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the limitations of deflection as we've currently structured it. If
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an individual fails any of the above steps, they will
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not be available for depletion for the following thirty days
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and would instead be arrested in charged if contacted by
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law enforcement during that time period. So there are some
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accountability standards put in there in terms of their reviirement
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of their participation. If they're contacted and they haven't engaged,
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then we will move towards arrestor citation.
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Weldan mc KEENNNY Sheriff Nicole Morrissey o'donald says, they'll be
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tracking how deflection is working.
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We understand the grave importance of data driven decision making,
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and it is also important to recognize that this framework
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for deflection was developed with what we are currently experiencing today,
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and the communities that each of us serves in are
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drastically different and they look different than five years ago
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with respect to the public safety needs and the additional
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behavioral health challenges. Our review will include, but it will
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not be limited to analyzing the date and location of
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each contact, demographic information, the connections that were provided to
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engage with treatment and or additional services, and the outcomes
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of those referrals, the experience of individuals involved in the
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deflection process, and those of the service partners utilizing practices
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developed in partnership with our Health Department and the provider
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to gather this feedback. We'll be looking at tracking both
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behavioral health outcomes as well as support provided to the
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individuals and their thoughts on the ways that support is
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helping them take the next steps, and our collective public
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safety needs. Our three agencies are working together to align
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our operational efforts. As mentioned by Chief Day, We'll be
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tracking what officers and deputies are seeing in our community,
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when and when deflection is utilized over entering the criminal
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justice system, as well as how often individuals engage in
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the required next steps as defined by their screening. Having
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these thirty day reviews will allow us to critically evaluate
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what is working and allow vast opportunity to adjust along
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the way. Accountability for individuals entering deflection is a shared
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responsibility of this group in our thirty day reviews. I
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am hopeful that we can identify the services that are
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missing from this initial framework and utilize our criminal justice
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system when it is needed. I do appreciate the collaborative
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work that is happening and ongoing with this group. Providing
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a path to deflection gives law enforcement another tool to
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help people in crisis get the resources and services that
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they desperately need, and also provides a pathway away from
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the criminal justice system when it's appropriate.
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Muloman County District Attorney Mike Schmid explains how deflection will
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work and how prosecutors will be involved.
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I want to emphasize this is a new program and
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we're building it from scratch. We've already made adjustments to
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our plan, taking into consideration the feedback we've received from stakeholders.
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That's a good thing. This is an iterative process, and
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I think that's exactly how it should work, evolving over time.
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What we have now, I believe, is a program that
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meets the intent of House Built four thousand and two.
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We can treat addiction like the health issue that it is,
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while also holding people accountable for their actions and how
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they impact our community. I've heard from law enforcement that
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what they really want, what they really need, is somewhere
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to take people suffering acutely from the impacts of addiction.
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I've heard from community members that they're tired of seeing
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people use drugs openly on our streets and in plain sight.
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And I've heard from others that they want to prioritize
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treatment rather than jail for people suffering from addiction. I
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empathize with all of that, and come September first, I
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think we're taking a step in the right direction of
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addressing those concerns. We all recognize that addiction and recovery
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is not a one transaction exchange. Because of the nature,
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it will require multiple attempts at treatment. That's why if
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deflection fails, conditional discharge is built into the criminal prosecution
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process in House built four thousand and two. We want
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to allow multiple opportunities to get people connected with treatment
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while still maintaining accountability. The bottom line is law enforcement
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needs tools to stop behavior that harms the community, and
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the goal needs to be to connect people with treatment,
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not incarceration, and I think this program works towards those goals.
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Bernard JB. Foster is CEO of Turk House, which will
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conduct addiction treatment for people who enter deflection.
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Turkhouse is a nonprofit drug and alcohol system that was
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created in nineteen seventy. Over those fifty years, we have
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grown to see over seventy thousand patients across our various
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continum of care facilities. We are extremely proud of the
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treatment model that we have in Baltimore, and we are
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hoping that we can also replicate that same sort of
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system of care over here in Normal County, Portland. In
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fiscal year twenty four, Turkhouse provided care for nearly eleven
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thousand patients in the Greater Baltimore community. Out of those,
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eleven thousand and eighty percent of the patients were deflected
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from the emergency department services. Out of those four thy
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sixty eight percent were able to stay sober for a
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good thirty days, and out of that sixty percent, a
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good forty percent were able to maintain sobriety for a year.
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Among our most significant accomplishments was the creation of the
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Maryland Crisis Stabilization Center and the Crisis Sobeering Services in
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twenty eighteen to help divert over those related patients from
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the emergency services. Our goal here is really to collaborate
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with the County, with various stakeholders who are behind me
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law enforcement, to be able to direct patients to the
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Deflection Center and hope they are able to receive services
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and stay engaging treatment. We want to thank the Chair
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of the Board, Chair Vega Peterson, and the rest of
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our team this wait.
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County Chair Jessica Vega Peterson announced the Deflection Center will
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not open on September first, more work is needed to
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get staffing and transportation in place. She says it will
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open in mid to late October. She says that they'll
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have mobile deflection vehicles available. September first, where officers can
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take people found with user amounts of illegal drugs to
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start the deflection process. She says there is still work
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to do before the mobile deflection vehicles are ready. Oregon
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farmers who provide housing for workers would have new rules
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to follow under a proposal OREGONOSHA is considering. Aaron Corvin
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with the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services joins
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us on local voices. Aaron, what would these rules do?
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Yeah, so some of the highlights here so you know,
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here we are in summer, you know, with heat illness prevention.
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So our rule proposal would require sleeping areas with labor
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housing to basically through cooling devices, and that could include
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air conditioners to be capable of maintaining seventy eight degrees
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for example, when it's eighty degrees outside, or fifteen degrees
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below the outside temperature when it's eighty five degrees and above.
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So essentially, we're trying to make sure that occupants of
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labor housing are protected while they're using the housing. We
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already have heat illness prevention measures, safety measures when they're
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out working in the field. So this is a comprehensive
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measure that protects them both while they're in the field
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and while they're in the housing. And this is a
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significant improvement over what we have now for labor housing.
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So that's one highlight what we look at. For example,
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the mattresses that are provided for labor housing, we would
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be changing that. So no longer would operators be able
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to provide foam pads that is currently allowed. That would
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go away under this proposal. So they would have to
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provide mattresses four inch thickness as part of a sleeping arrangement.
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And it would also prohibit operators from providing a cop
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as a bed type, which is currently allowed. We also
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would be expanding sleeping areas operators would Operators would be
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required to provide at least fifty square feet per bed
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in sleeping rooms with bunk beds. That's up from the
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current forty square foot requirements. And we would also be
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requiring kitchen facilities. So although a lot of employers in
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Oregon and I think this bears we need to say this.
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It's important a lot of employers strive to do the
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right thing when it comes to labor housing and do
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provide kitchen facilities. This proposal really firms up that requirement
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across the board, that expectation to make sure that those
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kitchen facilities are being provided. Those are just among of
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what we're proposing here. So again I emphasize this is
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a comprehensive across the board change for a number of
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safety and health measures that affect labor housing for for
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folks who use for workers and their families who rely
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on this housing it's provided as a condition of employment
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by operators that we're proposing.
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What is the process this proposal now will go through.
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So we are proposing this is a rule making, So
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this is a transparent and public process. So we have
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a lot more work to do, and what we want
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to do is listen to listen to you, listen to
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folks who are going to provide us input on this process.
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We are ready, we have to. We still have more
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work to do because we expect to formally propose this
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rule by the into this month, so we have more
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work to do through the Secretary of States process when
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that occurs. Our expectation on that when that happens, we
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are ready to listen to folks and take comments. And
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there's going to be ample opportunity for public comment and
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input on this proposal, So we are not done yet.
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So we want to listen to folks and have them
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talk to us, and we're going to have a series
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of public hearings. We're you know, we're going to be
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taking a lot of public comment and a lot of
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input on this. And so we're not done yet and
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we've got a ways to go. So that's where we're
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at on.
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This undo the proposal. How would compliance be checked and
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would there be inspectors?
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So it's worth noting that currently Oreganosha has an inspection
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program and enforcement. So we have an enforcement program with
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respect to labor housing. So we have for a long time,
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uh been inspecting housing. So operators register their facilities with
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oregon Osha, so they become part of that program, and
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we enforced by exception. A lot of employers do the
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right thing. They you know, the you know our experiences
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that employers strive to do the right thing. But you know,
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we have an enforcement program in place. We have we
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don't give advanced notice in notice of inspection, so when
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we go out if we do identify violations, we we
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do we can issue citations, which which can carry penalties,
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and and we committed uh uh some time ago we
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committed to to our stakeholders. We let them know, both
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operators and our labor advocates, we committed to a comprehensive
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review of our labor housing requirements. And this is kind
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of the current turning point in that process. We committed
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to that, and our stakeholders, our partners have been aware
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of that along the way, and so this is the
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next turning point in that. And we do have an
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enforcement program that we use, and we also have a
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public education program that we try to inform folks and
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let them know about how they can comply. You know,
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we have public education and consultation too. It's not just
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about enforcement, So inspectors are part of it, but we
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also do our level best to work with folks so
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they know how to comply. We want to help them comply.
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We want operators to be successful in this. So it's
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not just about enforcement.
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It sounds like you have to be expensive to implement.
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Is the cost of farmers and ranchers considered in the
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planning process.
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It is absolutely considered in the planning process. In fact,
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we're required to consider it so and we have had
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a rule advisory committee in place even before we've gotten
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to this turning point of proposing and engaging with our
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stakeholdholders letting them know about this turning point we're at
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right now and this proposal. So we've had a rule
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Advisory Committee in place and where we've been engaging with operators, growers,
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our labor advocates, and they've been bringing us information about
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the costs. And you bet we are absolutely engaged with
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understanding the costs of this, and we will continue to
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evaluate and consider those costs, and that's going to be
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part of and I need to emphasize this because we
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discussed it earlier. When we do formally file through the
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Secretary of State's office this rule proposal, and everything right now,
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right now is transparent. Everybody can go to our website
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and look at the rule proposal. It's already up there.
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But when we formally propose, we're going to continue to
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take public comment on this, and the cost of this
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will continue to be evaluated and folks can talk to
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us about that. So we're required to do that and
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it's going to be continue to be part of the process.
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I think it also needs to be noted that not
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you know, when it comes down to the cost, not
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everyone is going to have to bear certain costs of this,
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because not everyone's going to have to bear the change
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of this, So some of these rule proposals don't necessarily
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affect everyone the same. Some folks are already doing some
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of these things that we're proposing. So some of these
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things are going to be things that folks are already
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doing and that we're firming up across the board as
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an expectation. But certainly we are going to be considering
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the potential costs. We don't make these We don't make
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these kinds of proposals or decisions in isolation.
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Would any kind of assistance be available for farmers and
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ranchers who might need help with the costs or is
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that something the legislature would have to do.
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So we do expect to. So this is something that's
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actually been approved by the legislature, and that is the
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Oregon Department of Agriculture does have five million dollars in
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grant funds that are available to growers for existing on
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farm housing to comply with this rule change. Now what
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we have to do those we have some steps to take,
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and we need to move through this rule proposal process,
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and once we get this implemented what we have committed to,
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and it's in our public communications that we announced we
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have committed to providing ORGANOSHA providing technical assistance to support
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the Oregon Department of Agriculture in providing that five million
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dollars to growers, to operators of labor housing so that
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they can be helped with that five million dollars for
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existing housing labor housing to make certain infrastructure improvements so
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that they can comply with these rule changes that we're
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looking at. So the bottom line is, yes, these rule
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proposals are not being done in a vacuum. There is
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funding available. And I would also emphasize that OREGONOSHA does
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not see this as something that's being done, you know,
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just on a rule basis. This is being done on
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a program level, from a funding aspect, and we don't
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see us doing this alone. We're doing this in conjunction
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with you know, we view this as the Oregon Department
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of Agriculture. We're doing it in partnership with them, and
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it's also a multi agency approach that we want to
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take on.
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This, Aaron, anything else you'd like to add.
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Again, you know, we see this as really a comprehensive
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approach to try and really improve labor housing for what
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we know are among the most vulnerable workers in Oregon.
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And we are doing this in the context of wanting
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to make this very practical for our stakeholders. From employer standpoint,
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we want them to be successful operators and to be
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able to successfully comply with those standards. So we look
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at this as from this from a balance standpoint, and
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we look at it from a comprehensive standpoint, and that's
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where we're at on this. This is our approach moving.
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Forward at Aaron Corvin with the Oregon Depropmty of Consumer
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and Business Services with details on new rules that are
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being considered for farm worker housing or Gudians having trouble
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with student loans can get help from the student loan umbuds.
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That's Lane Thompson. Lane. What does a student loan umbuds do?
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Yeah, so, I pretty much serve as a liaison between
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student loan borrowers and their servicers. So if folks are
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having issues with how their payments are being applied or
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what's being reported to the credit bureaus, I can kind
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of help navigate through those issues with folks.
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Student loans have been in the news a lot this year,
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their repayment plans and court battles. It can be confusing.
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Yeah, there certainly is a lot of confusion going on
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right now, and yeah, it's for a lot of different reasons.
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So one of the biggest issues your office is seeing
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and what's causing the confusion.
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Yeah. So the biggest question, or the most common question
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I get, is about public service loan forgiveness, and those
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questions just continue to come through, and those can be
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anything from does my employer count for public service loan
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forgiveness all the way through to I applied and did
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everything I'm supposed to do and haven't heard back, and
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what do I do now? So just kind of the
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nature of that program is a really big question because
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it was kind of revamped under this administration. So that's
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a big one. The other kind of really big question
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area right now is around the Income driven Repayment Plan.
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Save back student loans are difficult. It's a long process
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to get some people just asking whether they need to
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repay their loans.
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Yes, I definitely get questions like that. It's more generally
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it's more do I qualify for forgiveness? Right? So people
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just want to make sure they're taking advantage of every
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opportunity and trying to get all the information they can,
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and I often kind of come up as one of
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the resources that they trying to get that information from.
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So yes, I definitely do hear that. What I will
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tell you is that what I hear more often than
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anything else is I've been paying on these loans for
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a very long time. I'm doing my best to pay
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them off. Is there any relief for me?
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Student loan repayment has changed a lot, and debt is
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much higher because college is more expensive, and in some
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cases people actually owe more than they started with. How's
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that happen?
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Yeah, it's a great question, and there's two major factors
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at play there. One is the ever increasing price of college,
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and then the other one is this thing that we
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call negative amortization. So if someone's on an income driven
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repayment plan, they may not be making payments that are
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big enough to cover the interest every month. That interest
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in the past got added back onto the loan. They
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call it capitalization, and the loan balances increased. One of
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the major changes that the Biden administration made was more
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or less ending that negative amortization. So going forward, this
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should be less of a problem at this moment. There
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are forgiveness programs available for people who work in public service,
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for people who have total and permanent disabilities, and also
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for people who are defrauded by their schools. So those
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are kind of big categories of folks who There is
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applications for debt relief available to you today. There was
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also some federal rolemaking done early this year that may
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eventually lead to some more relief for folks.
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What do you recommend for people who are trying to
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figure out what to do?
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It's a great question, and then there's not a simple
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answer to that. The one thing is I would recommend
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everyone's start by going to studentaid dot gov and looking
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at what options are available. That studentaid dot gov platform
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is going to have all the applications, all the eligibility information,
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So that's one part of that answer. The other part
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is kind of more on the emotional and interpersonal side,
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And in terms of that, what I really recommend is
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that people speak more about their debt, and they talk
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to people and their family, They you know, ask for help.
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That might mean calling our office, really any way that
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they can reach out and be open about it, be
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vulnerable about it because it can be something that a
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lot of people experience shame about, and I don't think
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we need to. I don't think that helps us.
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What action do you recommend?
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So generally, I recommend that people take one of two
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strategies that their student debt strategy. One is, pay down
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every single dollar you have as fast as you can,
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make extra payments every month, do everything you can to
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pay those off. The other option is to get onto
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an income driven repayment plan and pay the least amount
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that you can pay for the term of that repayment plan.
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Neither of those options. Neither of those strategies include forbearance
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or deferment. However, forbearance or deferment are tools available for
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people who may not have other options. Generally, almost in
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every case, I'm going to recommend applying for an income
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driven repayment plan instead.
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How can people get in touch with the Oregon student
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on Bud's office.
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Yes, so where I would recommend starting in order to
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reach me is on our website, so that is Dfire
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Dotregon dot gov. And I can be reached directly at
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eight eight eight eight seven seven four eight nine four.
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Thanks Lane, that's Lane. Thompson, Oregon student loan on. But
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thanks for listening to Local Voices. I'm brad Ford. You
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can hear past episodes on the iHeartRadio app under the
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podcast tab. Local Voices is a public affairs presentation from iHeartRadio.
