Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS)

Oregon State Office Building

700 Union St.
The Dalles, Oregon 97058

Children, Adults and Families

700 Union St., Suite 128, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
541-296-4661

Mission: To establish policies and programs that provide self-sufficiency for families and adults, and safe, permanent families for abused and neglected children. This group combines programs from the former Adult & Family Services Division and the State Office for Services to Children and Families.

Click here to take the easy (and anonymous) www.OregonHelps. org survey to see if you might qualify for services!

The main program areas include:

1) Self-Sufficiency

700 Union St., Suite 128, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
541-296-4661

Key responsibilities include assisting families and adults in achieving and maintaining self-sufficiency,

• The Food Stamp Program, to help Oregonians feed themselves and their families.
• The JOBS employment and training program, to prepare people for the workplace and help them find work.
  
• Prevention programs to help young people make positive choices and avoid behaviors that put them at risk.
  
• TANF cash benefits for low-income families with children, and cash assistance for victims of domestic violence.

2) Vocational Rehabilitation

700 Union St., Suite 128, The Dalles, Oregon 97058
541-296-4661

3) Child Welfare

700 Union St., Room 230 (2nd Floor), The Dalles, Oregon 97058
541-298-5136

Key responsibilities include helping parents provide safe and stable homes for children, and providing permanent adoptive homes for children who can't remain with their biological parents.

• Child-protective services to investigate and intervene in cases of abuse and neglect. (Formerly SCF). This program provides services and programs to protect children who are the victims of abuse and neglect and to strengthen families to help keep them together.
  To learn how you can help prevent Child Abuse, click here.
  
• Family-Based Services to support the safety of children in the home, and counsel and train parents.
• Permanency for Children
  1) Foster care for children removed from their homes while the parents, DHS and other agencies work toward reuniting the family.
  2) Adoption programs, to permanently place children with other families when they cannot return to their parents.
  
• Child Care Subsidies
  Child-care subsidy programs, such as Employment Related Day Care and JOBS child care, to help low-income working families and people in the JOBS Program pay for their child care.
• The Oregon Child Support Program, to help families obtain child-support payments from non-custodial parents and strengthen families by connecting them to community resources. (Note: During the summer of 2002, this program moved to the Oregon Dept. of Justice.)

Aging and Disabilities Services

700 Union St., Room 203 (2nd Floor), The Dalles, Oregon 97058
541-298-4114
http://www.sdsd.hr.state.or.us/

Many of DHS's programs help people stay in their communities. Some people need more formal help to stay independent. Senior centers, hot meal programs (like Meals-on-wheels), employment assistance, and transportation may all help people remain independent, well-nourished, and healthy in their own homes.

Programs and Services

Oregon Lifespan Respite Care Program

The Oregon Lifespan Respite Care Program, part of the Department's Community Partnership Team, helps counties develop and implement community-based lifespan respite care networks. The Lifespan networks help families and caregivers locate respite care services in their communities.

Respite care is temporary, short-term care for an individual with special needs, such as developmental and physical disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, chronic illnesses, Alzheimer's disease and related health concerns, medical fragility, and those at risk of abuse and neglect. The primary purpose of respite care is to give relief to families and caregivers from the extraordinary and intensive demands of providing ongoing care.

Respite strengthens the ability of families and primary caregivers to continue to provide care in the home. Occasional relief supports family stability and well-being.

The Oregon Lifespan Respite Program was established by 1997 House Bill 2013.

State Contact information:
Oregon Department of Human Services
500 Summer St. NE E25, Salem, OR 97301-1098
PH: (503) 945-5944 " Fax: (503) 378-2897 " TTY: (503) 945-5928
Website: http://www.hr.state.or.us/

Note: DHS is in the process of revamping their website to reflect the entire reorganization the agency has undergone during the past few years. Their new website will be online in February 2003. We'll be updating this page at A2ZGorge.Info after the launch of their new website to provide links to appropriate services.