Renters Must Take Action To Get Protected From Eviction
March 17, 2021
Renters in Oregon must take a step to be covered under the current statewide eviction moratorium that will last until June 30, 2021. With limited exceptions, landlords cannot evict renters for nonpayment or without cause until July of 2021 — if renters sign and return a form to their landlord if they can’t afford their rent. Renters who do not return the form are not protected, and can be evicted!
In order to be protected from eviction, you will need to take the following steps:
- Download the declaration of financial hardship form.
- Sign the declaration of financial hardship form.
- Return the form to your landlord as soon as possible (keep a copy for your records!) Renters can return the form by text, email, first class mail, personal delivery, or fax.
Find the form here: courts.oregon.gov. If you have questions or need legal information you can contact one of these agencies:
Renters can give the form to their landlord at any time, up until the first appearance in eviction court, however should give the form to their landlords as soon as possible. Please help spread the word in multiple languages by using the social media toolkit.
Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance gets an update
Earlier this week, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education released an update to the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance. Right now, about 175,000 students in Oregon are attending school in person. And last week, Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order requiring all Oregon public schools to offer universal access to hybrid or full in-person instruction by the weeks of March 29 for grades K-5, and April 19 for grades 6-12.
What does this all mean for you, your student, and your school? Some key changes from the guidance:
- There’s a simplified table in the guidance (Page 15) showing how schools will use county case rates, case counts and test positivity rates to decide when to offer on-site or hybrid learning and when they might limit instruction to distance learning only.
- The updated guidance offers more detail about how schools provide Comprehensive Distance Learning to families that request it (Page 13).
- There are some changes to the size and design of cohorts – those are the stable peer groups that students are part of during the school day (Page 22).
- While elementary school students will continue to be checked for symptoms of or exposure to people with COVID-19 as they enter school, the new guidance allows middle and high school students to screen themselves at home (Page 24).
What to Consider as Spring Break Approaches
Spring break is nearly here. Many of us, including students, would normally be heading to the coast or out of state. But, like last year, we are still in the pandemic – and travel, especially by plane, bus, or train, increases our chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Case numbers in Oregon are dropping, and vaccination rates are growing. The things we are doing right now to keep ourselves, our friends, our families and communities safe are working to reduce transmission. But we should not let down our guard.
Though many of us may be getting the travel bug, across the country and around the world COVID-19 is still spreading. By avoiding travel and staying home, we can protect ourselves and others from COVID-19.
Check out Oregon Health Authority's travel guidance as you make plans, and remember that:
- If you leave the state, we recommend quarantining for 14 days when you return.
- Your airline may require health information, testing, or other documents.
- Local policies at your destination may require you to be tested for COVID-19.
- If you test positive on arrival, you may be required to isolate for a period of time.
- If you leave the U.S., including for Mexico, you’ll need to have a negative COVID-19 test, or documented recovery from COVID-19, before boarding a flight home. (The CDC offers more details on international travel requirements.)
