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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2024 |

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The Certiﬁed Respite Program

How you can help kids in foster care in our community

BY NATE SCHWARTZ News Editor

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is making a push for enrollment in one of Child Welfare’s newest statewide programs. The Certiﬁed Respite program, which launched in 2023, has aimed to give resource families (the new parlance for ‘foster families’) a helping hand in caring for vulnerable children and youth in Coos and Curry Counties who are impacted by foster care. Respite providers give resource parents a chance to recharge by taking over caregiving duties for anywhere from a few hours to a few days at a time. In partnership with Every Child Oregon, and their Coos and Curry afﬁliates, ODHS provides assessment, training,

and certiﬁcation so that you can make a positive impact in the life of a child or young adult going through the immense ﬂux that can occur in foster care. In speaking with Bonnie Ell, the Resource Family Retention and Recruitment Champion for our District, we got an idea of how the program got started. “[We] listened to resource parents, and in hearing that they needed some extra support in the work that they were doing to

care for kids in foster care, this program was proposed to and approved by the Oregon State legislature. Our hope is that resource parents will feel better supported in their fostering journey and able to provide a safe, stable and loving home for the children or young adults that they are caring for. We also hope that by bringing another caring adult into the child or

young adult’s life, they too will be better equipped to face the hardships associated with foster care,” explained Ell. Respite providers can give kids a greater sense of support from the community. It can be a huge relief to resource parents, as well, as they are able to take time for themselves and recharge, like this resource parent explained:

“The program has been amazing. Having respite care available, I was able to attend my appointments, take time away for my self-care and not have to worry as my kiddos are safe. Amazing program and such a need for foster families,” said See Foster Care Continued on Page 3

Groundbreaking ceremony held for ‘Weekend’ now new permanent veteran’s housing World delivered BY LINDA LEE

on Tuesday

Country Media, Inc.

Curry County is on its way to getting 18 affordable housing units with last Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony at the Wild Chinook Inn in Gold Beach. The Veteran’s Housing Project CORE Response of Brookings was awarded three million one hundred ﬁfty thousand dollars in Veterans General Housing Account Programs (GHAP) funds to build an 18-unit affordable housing facility for veterans and their families. According to the website Oregon.gov, GHAP’s purpose is to have access to safe, affordable, stable housing for Oregon’s families and communities. The GHAP Capacity Building Program was created to invest in the growth and development of our key partners and regional

Staff report

Exciting changes are coming to your Coos Bay World newspaper. Moving forward, your ‘Weekend’ World, normally delivered on Friday when you receive your mail, will be delivered earlier in the week, inserted into the Tuesday World. This move will bring our readers news and events a few days earlier to be able to better plan your busy lives. You will still receive the ‘Weekend’ World as you have come to enjoy, but it will be delivered each week, packaged into the Tuesday edition. We have always provided news, sports, classifieds, legal advertising, opinion pages, puzzles and more on Tuesday with the weekend edition focused on promoting awareness of the many events in our area. “Nothing has changed in our coverage plan,” said Country Media’s Chief Executive Joe Warren. “We’re just delivering the papers earlier in the week so our readers can make necessary plans due to so many events our area provides.” The page count will remain the same, and some weeks will be larger. “This will really beef up our weekly presentation, giving all the news, sports and events coverage in one package,” Warren said.

See Veterans Continued on Page 3

A Conversation with Melissa Cribbins, Intermodal Port’s Executive Director packages, both provided by the US Department of Transportation, are for After a whopping specific aspects of the $54 million in federal development. The first funding was announced set of funds comes from for the Port of Coos Bay’s the Nationally Significant expansion into the Pacific Multimodal Freight and Coast Intermodal Port Highways (INFRA) (PCIP), locals undoubtedly initiative, and the second have questions about the is part of the Consolidated timeline for the project Rail and Infrastructure and just what those funds Safety Improvements can be used for. (CRISI) program. To get some clarity on “The CRISI funds will the massive expansion, be used for the railroad I spoke with PCIP upgrades, not for the Executive Director, actual construction itself, Melissa Cribbins, to but for the planning and discuss the funding permitting. We have to conditions, what impact a get the design work done change in administration on it. INFRA will be used could bring, and the push for workers housing for the project. See Port Funds The two funding Continued on Page 5 BY NATE SCHWARTZ News Editor

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See Changes Continued on Page 9

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