March, 2020 - Portland JACL

General Help

211

Details: Connects people with health and social service organizations including childcare and parenting assistance, utility assistance, food assistance, emergency management, food assistance, housing and shelter assistance, and health assistance.

Call: 211 or 1-866-698-6155
Text: your zip code to 898211
Email: help@211info.org
Website: http://www.navigateresources.net/info/

PDX Covid-19 Mutual Aid Network

Details: A grassroot effort of volunteers committed to assisting communities most impacted by COVID-19. They will do their best to let you know within 48 hrs if they are able to meet your needs. For financial assistance with both paying and shopping for groceries, please fill out the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWmeBGnqdX14Q5ihC66u-bYzJ1oaJcigu_Vx44AJPRSoDMtQ/viewform

Meals

Meals on Wheels

Details: Nutritious meals that are delivered weekdays between 10-2pm. Serves senior citizens living in Multnomah, Washington, and Clark Counties. The cost of each meal is $7.39. Participants are asked to contribute to the cost of the meal.

Call 503-953-8111 or toll free at 866-788-6325
Register online at https://www.mowp.org/

SNAP

Everything is normal with SNAP and benefits will continue to be available on their regular schedule. You do not need to go into a Department of Human Services office to get service. You can call 503-945-5600 to access an application (or you can apply online), submit information or paperwork, report changes and/or to conduct an interview.

Seniors or person with disabilities may also contact the Oregon Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) by calling the ADRC at 1-855-ORE-ADRC (1-855-673-2372)

You can now use EBT to order food online through Amazon and Walmart for home delivery across Oregon. Please note that there are delivery fees (which SNAP benefits cannot pay for).

Utility Assistance

City of Portland ? Until further notice, Portland Water and BES will not disconnect water service for non-payment of sewer/stormwater/water bills. Customers are still responsible for sewer/stormwater/water charges due now accrued during this temporary suspension if you?re facing financial hardship: Call Customer Service at 503-823-7770 to work out a plan. Apply for financial assistance at: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/water/69504

Northwest Natural– is suspending automatic service shutoffs in the event of nonpayment. Customers should call (800) 226- 4211 and contact the billing department to make arrangements.

Portland General Electric (PGE)– is suspending non-payment disconnection. If you need help with your bill, please call to find a solution that fits your needs. Here are a few ways to get started if you need help paying your bill:

Need more time to pay?: You can request a payment extension 24/7 by logging in to your account or calling our automated phone system at the numbers below.
Need more help? Call to set up a payment plan and to get connected with energy assistance programs, if needed. You can call 503-228-6322 or 800-542-8818 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pacific Power– is “temporarily suspending disconnections and late fees for non-payment for customers in Oregon, Washington and California to support the state of emergency declared in all three states in response to the COVID-19 virus.”

Customers can call 1-888-221-7070 at any time to speak with a customer care agent who can help answer any questions

COVID-19 Health Information and Health Care

For questions on the latest developments or how to minimize the impact of the pandemic, visit websites for the Centers for Disease Control and the Oregon Health Authority.

Community members can also connect with 211info or by dialing 2-1-1 with questions about the coronavirus.

For medical emergencies, dial 911.

The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:

Cough
Fever
Shortness of breath

Not everyone who is sick needs to be tested. Your local health department or health care provider can help you:

Decide if you need an appointment, and
Plan to enter a clinic in a way that avoids possibly infecting others, if you do go in.

Folks can contact the Multnomah County Health Department at 503-988-3674

Reporting Hate or Bias Incidents in Oregon

If you are the victim of a hate or bias incident, please report it to the Oregon Department of Justice at 1-844-924-BIAS (2427).

The hotline has trained staff available Monday-Friday, who will help victims connect with resources best suited to their needs.? Name calling and racist comments may not rise to the level of a criminal act but they are still hurtful and traumatizing.

To report incidents of hate or racial bias, and/or to contact an organization for support, click here: Report Hate

March 20, 2020

For Immediate Release

David Inoue, Executive Director
Sarah Baker, VP Public Affairs

As terms like ?Chinese Virus?, ?Wuhan Virus?, and ?Kung Flu? are increasingly used by the President and other leaders in our country, so do we see the increase of racially-based hate crimes and xenophobia against people of Asian descent. While President Trump has defended his usage of these types of terms, as ?not racist at all?, the impacts on our communities tell a different story.

Since as early as January, Asian-owned businesses have been seeing drastic decreases in sales, to the point that some have had to permanently close. New York City has seen a significant rise in violence against Asians, ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault, including a man chasing an Asian woman through the subway station before beating her. In San Francisco a woman was spit on and screamed at by a man on the street, forcing her to flee to a nearby business to escape further attack. These types of incidents are only going to increase as rhetoric that points the finger at the Chinese, and more broadly Asians, continues to escalate.

Asians, especially East Asians, are being labeled as dirty, uncivilized, and animalistic based on cultural generalizations. Senator Cornyn (TX) blamed the Chinese for causing COVID-19 because of the stereotype of a diet of animals exotic to American palates. This type of fear-based inductive reasoning hearkens back to moments in our history like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans, when people of Asian descent were targeted by our government through racist policies.

People of Asian descent are no more likely to be carriers of COVID-19 than anyone else: viruses do not see race. The negative and in some cases violent reactions Asians have been experiencing serve as a reminder that we are seen as the perpetual foreigner. It doesn?t matter how many generations our families have been here or if we have just recently immigrated, we are continually labeled as ?other?. Had COVID-19 originated in a predominantly white country, the story would have looked a lot different.

This harmful narrative that is being divisively used by our government leaders is creating wide-spread hatred and fear against Asians that will have long lasting impacts on our community. As businesses close and racist attacks continue, we call on our leaders to use language that does not cast blame on Asian people. COVID-19 is a global pandemic that impacts all of us equally. It should be called by its scientific name, not a colloquialism that is harming the Asian people.

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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.