A coalition of organizations in the entire state has announced it is rolling out a fund to assist immigrant Oregonian workers who have lost income because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Specifically, the Oregon Worker Relief Fund is targeting workers who are not eligible for the federal unemployment benefit or any other federal relief.

These people, director of advocacy for the Latino Network Ricardo Lujan-Valerio said, are those who "fall through the cracks and frequently the backbone of businesses that are currently the most affected."

The network, as announced in a news conference on May 29, is one of the groups involved in the initiative.

$10-Million Funding Received

Essentially, the group received an amount of $10 million as part of an emergency aid package which the state Legislator passed in April. Over 100 advocacy groups and stakeholders created a plan for getting funds for workers.

More so, the initiative will accept applications soon, with the money being paid out through several community organizations across Oregon. Applicants just have to apply directly to any participating group or organization.

Euvalcree, for one, is a nonprofit organization based in Ontario and it announced it will also be accepting applications.

According to Gustav Morales, the organization's executive director, they have started processing applications already, "in a pilot test of an electronic system which the Innovation Law Lab developed," to assist in the distribution of funds.

Euvalcree has close connections to the Latino community-based in Malheur County. It also operates an office in Hermiston.

It is challenging to approximate how many people will be qualified for the financial support in Malheur County, said Morales, adding that "statewide, the coalition has an approximation of roughly 74,000 qualified applicants."

Qualified to Apply

Anyone who is at least 18 years old and lost his income because of COVID-19 and is not qualified to apply for the federal relief due to immigration issues can apply for this relief fund.

Once qualified, according to Morales, applicants will then receive financial support for a maximum of four weeks. Aside from the required age, applicants must be residents and workers in Oregon to qualify for the fund.

Euvalcree's director of operations, Roberto Gamboa said, by word of mouth, they have already helped a few members of the community. He also added that the fund is intended to "serve a critical gap."

The Latino populace in Oregon has been particularly hit by the global pandemic. Also, Latinos account for almost 25 percent of the state's confirmed cases of COVID-19, yet only make up 13 percent of the entire population of the state.

Woodburn, for instance, which depends on farm workers, has seen high rates of contagion. Approximately, at least one-third of the agriculture workforce of the state is undocumented and therefore, not eligible for the federal fund or unemployment benefits related to the pandemic.

On top of the funds which the Legislator allocated, the Worker Relief Fund has increased over $1 million through various community organizations and individual donors. Meanwhile, Gov. Kate Brown announced recently a number of steps the state is presently taking to give assistance to agriculture.

Some of these steps include covering the expenses for farmworkers who need to quarantine because of possible COVID-19; and allotting $5 million for the improvement of sanitation in farm fields such as portable restrooms and hand-washing stations, among others.

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