KWSO News 1/24/19

Warm Springs Health & Human Services, the Community Action Team and Emergency Preparedness have collected household items and food to assist families affected by the government shutdown.   The distribution center is located at the old Warm Springs Elementary School Library.  They are open 7:30-5:30 weekdays and on Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Donations can be dropped off at the Community Action Team office, Family Resource Center and Emergency preparedness office.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — With the federal government shutdown in its second month, officials in Oregon are looking to help beleaguered federal employees, possibly with millions of dollars in assistance, authorities said Wednesday. Almost 10,000 federal employees in the state are not getting paid because of the shutdown, huge swaths of federal lands are unattended and food stamps for 320,000 Oregonians are at risk if the shutdown persists past February. Senate President Peter Courtney says he is drafting a bill to allow federal employees who are working but not being paid to receive unemployment benefits. That’s in defiance of the U.S. Labor Department which says federal employees who are on the job without pay cannot collect unemployment. Only those not working during the shutdown can receive benefits. The move comes as states are starting to fill gaps as the longest-ever federal government shutdown drags on. Among those working without pay are federal prison guards, air traffic controllers, TSA agents and U.S. Coast Guard personnel.

The annual Point In Time Homeless Count is happening in Warm Springs today. The count is an opportunity for agencies to assess the need in our communities, to compare the need from years past and to receive funding to meet the needs of our homeless population. People can stop by from 9am to 7pm at the Family Resource Center. They do have some small incentive items for those who participate in the count, as well as information, free clothing, a light meal at noon and snacks throughout the day. The Madras Point In Time Count will take place tomorrow from 8-3:00 at the First Baptist Church. Oregon had the second-highest rate of people living without shelter in the country, a recent federal study found. About 62 percent of the state’s population of people who are homeless are living in tents, cars or in deserted areas.