Under stay-at-home orders, foster families across Oregon are experiencing new struggles. Some can’t leave home, have a loss of income or a loss of childcare. The networks that usually fill those needs — such as schools, government agencies and nonprofits — are also under new strain due to the pandemic.
Every Child, an initiative of The Contingent, serves kids in foster care in 23 counties across Oregon, through a partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services.
Its most recent campaign is an emergency response system called “My NeighbOR,” which allows foster families and youth to request help while at the same time creating a space for people to provide that help. It connects the needs of some to the generosity of others.
When there is a health concern and when there is job loss or economic instability, that affects every Oregonian," Gray said. "When you have families who already are extending themselves ... that instability affects them even more.
