Causa Of Oregon

CAUSA WORKS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF LATINO IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH ADVOCACY, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND COALITION BUILDING. LATINO IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE THE HEART OF CAUSA AND INSPIRE, IMPLEMENT AND CHAMPION OUR WORK.

IN OREGON, WE SAW THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT OF COVID-19 FOR OUR BIPOC AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND TOOK SWIFT ACTION TO ADVOCATE FOR STATE FUNDING TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL RELIEF TO OREGONIANS WHO WERE INTENTIONALLY EXCLUDED FROM PUBLIC BENEFITS. WE DID THIS, BY CO-CREATING THE NOW WELL-ESTABLISHED OREGON WORKER RELIEF COALITION AND DEVELOPING THE WORKER RELIEF FUND AND THE QUARANTINE FUND TO PROVIDE DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY COVID-19. AS OF NOW, THE FUND HAS RAISED OVER $110 MILLION DOLLARS AND HAS HAD OVER 35,000 APPLICANTS AND DISTRIBUTED OVER $40 MILLION DOLLARS. IN ORDER TO DISTRIBUTE THESE FUNDS, WE HAVE BUILT A STATEWIDE COMMUNITY LED INFRASTRUCTURE TO ENSURE ACCESS TO THE FUND FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE AND MOST AFFECTED COMMUNITIES. THIS PROGRAM HAS DRASTICALLY INCREASED OUR ORGANIZATIONAL MAKEUP AND HAS STRENGTHENED OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH COALITION MEMBERS ACROSS THE STATE IN AN EFFORT TO HAVE ONE CENTRALIZED TRUSTED COMMUNITY PROGRAM. CAUSA'S ROLE WAS TO LEAD THE ADVOCACY EFFORT TO GET THIS PROJECT OFF THE GROUND AND WE WERE THE INTIAL FISCAL SPONSORS OF THE FUND. NOW, CAUSA IS ONE OF THE NAVIGATING ORGANIZATIONS, OVERSEES THE DISTRIBUTION OF DOLLARS FOR THE WORKER RELIEF FUND AND IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

CAUSA SOUGHT TO ACHIEVE SHORT-TERM WINS TO ACHIEVE LONG-TERM POWER TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF ANTI-IMMIGRANT EFFORTS AND PASS IMMIGRANTS INCLUSIVE POLICIES IN OREGON.

OUR THIRD MAJOR PROJECT FOR 2021 WAS OUR ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN AND OUR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WORK WITH OREGON VOTERS DURING THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. IN PRIOR YEARS, CAUSA WAS ABLE TO HIRE SEVERAL PART TIME STAFF MEMBERS AND HAD A GROUP OF DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED US REACH OUT TO OREGON VOTERS TO GET OUT TO VOTE EVEN IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC. OUT DEDICATED TEAM WAS ABLE TO CALL OVER 28,000 LATINX VOTERS TO MOBILIZE OUR BASE AND GET OUT THE VOTE OF LATINX LOW PROSPERITY OREGON VOTERS TO ENSURE THAT THEY TURNED IN THEIR BALLOTS. WE ALSO PROVIDED INFORMATION TO THOSE VOTERS ABOUT WHERE THE NEAREST DROP SITES WERE AND REASSURED THEM THAT THEIR VOTE WOULD COUNT.