Carl Talton asked the County to invest in science and math programs for students in Northeast Portland.
Maria Fernanda Diaz Bonilla asked the County to sponsor a new mental health educator for Latino Network.
De Borah Olson asked Multnomah County to subsidize affordable medications for seniors.
And Diamond Tidwell, 16, asked the County to build a Student Health Center at Reynolds High School.
Residents, nonprofit leaders, community organizers and advocates came out Wednesday night for the final public hearing on Multnomah County’s proposed 2019 fiscal year budget, seeking funding for new programs, and asking commissioners to maintain funding for existing ones.
“This year we have a flat budget,” Chair Deborah Kafoury explained in opening remarks. “But we’re facing budget cuts over the next four years, culminating in a $30 million shortfall. We have to make cuts.”
But residents still have a say in where those cuts might be made, and this year’s budget isn’t final. A vote to formally adopt the budget is scheduled for May 31.
“That’s why we’re here to hear from you,” she said. ”When we hold these meetings, and hear from you, I feel so connected to our community, that we have people come out and talk about the need, but also solutions to the need.”
Clients from the country's Women Infants and Children (WIC) program asked the county to reconsider cutting a part-time position from the program’s breastfeeding peer counseling staff. The first among her friends to have a child, Jenya Rafi said she felt lost when she had her baby boy.
“I come from a culture where breastfeeding is really important, but I didn’t know anything about it besides that I wanted to,” she said. “Coming to these classes and meeting other women and getting that feeling of community was really amazing.”
She got support when her son began spitting up, when she worried he wasn’t taking in enough milk. Her peer counselor at WIC suggested she give up dairy to see if that eased her baby’s stomach. And it did. “Breastfeeding is amazing, and a lot of people don’t have support to successfully breastfeed,” she said. “This program was very valuable.”
The breastfeeding peer support team is part of a broader Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program that serves more than 25,000 people each year with nutritious food, nutrition education and counseling, growth monitoring, health screenings, support networks, and breastfeeding peer support for its members.
Breastfeeding rates among WIC participants have risen 1 percent a year since the peer support team launched in 2011, bringing the average rate to 92 percent, on par with the statewide average and among the highest in the nation. But with budget cuts looming, the county has proposed cutting the part-time position.
“Oregon WIC moms are leading the nation in their breastfeeding rates. Should that be a reason to cut back on that support?” asked Lea Lipscomb, one of the peer support counselors. “Breastfeeding is one of the lifelong gifts that low-income moms can give their babies, to decrease disparities, if they have good support.”
Rachelle Universe found that support after years of feeling like a failure. She hadn’t been able to breastfeed her first son, London. Then her second son, Caleb, was unable to nurse.
“He would just cry in frustration and I would cry in helplessness,” she said. “I felt inadequate as a mother, that I was not able to feed my baby the natural way.”
But at WIC, Lipscomb helped Universe adjust her positioning and test out nipple guards. She also gave Universe a cell number to call any time. Lipscomb suggested the trouble might be a bit of skin under the child’s tongue that made it difficult for him to latch. It was something doctors had missed. But once it was diagnosed and clipped, Caleb was able to nurse.
“If it was not for Lea’s knowledge and this program, I would have stopped nursing,” Universe told commissioners. “It truly helped me and my whole family. It helped with my body, my son and my own confidence as a mother."
She turned to Lispcomb next. “Thank you Lea for all the times you were there for me, as I wept in your office and over the phone,” she said. “Thank you WIC for having the resources available to mothers like me.”
Others testified about the power of partnerships with culturally specific nonprofits.
“The Future Generations Collaborative allowed me to open my eyes and my heart,” said Roberta Eaglehorse-Ortiz, who said it helped her learn “how can I bring my own talents and healing, to be enlightened in the community I’m in.”
The collective, which includes Multnomah County, the Native American Youth and Family Center and other agencies, seeks to reduce serious health disparities, increase healthy pregnancies and strengthen families in Native American and Alaska Native communities.
Charlotte Bad Cob, a member of the Lakota tribe originally from South Dakota, said she’s been a part of Portland’s Native community for 40 years. And the Future Generations Collaborative still taught her things about herself.
“It has given me a voice, provided me a safe place to learn and to grow,” she said. “I have learned a lot about myself and the community I’m in. One thing we say in the FGC: ‘Heal’ people heal people, and ‘hurt’ people hurt people. That was a tool we were given to work with people around us and to understand how trauma affects our behaviors.”
Families who participate in the Successful Families program at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization told commissioners about why their support for that program matters.
“Having a child in school can be challenging,” said father Hai Huynh, speaking in Vietnamese. “As a newcomer, the culture is so different and overwhelming. IRCO helped with interpretation, encouraged me to participate in school events.”
His son Tan Huynh is in seventh grade. He said Successful Families, which offers tutoring and mentorship in addition to family advocacy and training for teachers, has built his confidence.
“I had a hard time with reading, writing and speaking English. My advocate helped me with homework,” he said. “My favorite part is field trips and being with friends I’ve made in the program. I hope I get to continue to be in this program, and I hope other kids get the same opportunity I had.
Other requests presented Wednesday night included funding for legal representation of residents facing immigration removal proceedings in federal court, support for affordable county-wide internet access, and a reconsideration of performance measures in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s budget.
David Rogers of the ACLU of Oregon said a review of county’s District Attorney budget documents reflects, “not a single output or outcome measure on decreasing disparities or increasing diversity or inclusion.”
“Compare that to DCJ [the Department of Community Justice], which has a wide range of explicit outcomes of reducing racial disparities and increasing inclusion,” he continued. “They are tracking and reporting the number of people of color in their hiring pool. It’s clear they’re making a successful effort to hire a diverse workforce…. It provides a sharp contrast.”
Staff came out from the Morrison Youth and Family Center to ask for continued support for a program called Counterpoint. Armando Gutierrez said the Counterpoint program gives children a safe place to be honest, a place where they’re not blamed the same way an adult might be for inappropriate sexual acts.
“They have not yet learned to self-govern or someone has abused them. Recovery from such abuse is slow,” he said. “It requires facing the truth and accepting responsibility. Without that foundational step, it’s impossible to lay a true foundation. These young boys and girls undergo process of bringing personal, and sometimes family, secrets to the light. This is heart-wrenching work.”
Morrison Center’s clinical manager, Scott Brown, highlighted the case of a 6-year-old girl — by then in her fifth foster care placement — who suffered extensive abuse and then acted out sexually at school. It took time in counseling, Brown said, but she worked through her own abuse and learned healthy sexual boundaries. After a year in counseling through the Counterpoint program, she celebrated a graduation of sorts, enjoying a slice of cake with sprinkles and a cup of apple juice.
“This service means a lot; $100,000 is a great investment,” said Dixie Stevens, chief program officer for Morrison Center. Stevens said she understand the county budget looks increasingly ominous in coming years, but she asked for one more year of support.
“If we can make it through this year, I understand it’s going to be worse. We will do our darndest to see how some other funders can come to the table and find a creative way to do this,” she said. “We need time. If we don’t have that time, it’s over.”
