Public Participation in Action Plan Development
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) conducted multiple consultations and engagement activities to develop an Action Plan to guide all ReOregon wildfire recovery activities. Public involvement steps included:
- Meeting with various stakeholders, including disaster-affected residents, state agencies, local governments, public housing authorities, and long-term recovery groups (LTRGs).
- Meeting with state agencies, including the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, and Oregon Department of Agriculture.
- Using early rounds of engagement meetings with local governments and stakeholders to present the initial unmet needs assessment and obtain feedback.
- Presentations and discussions with standing bodies, such as the OHCS Tribal liaison committee.
- Partnering with culturally specific community based organizations to hold focus groups with survivors.
- Public open houses and hearings in Lincoln, Marion, Lane, and Jackson counties.
- An online survey during the first round of early engagement.
- Public comments on the Draft Action Plan. Almost 200 commenys were received. All those comments were responded to in the final Action Plan.
Citizen Participation Plan
The state has adopted a
Citizen Participation Plan (CPP),
Citizen Participation Plan Spanish (CPP) that describes procedures for public participation in the development and implementation of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and mitigation activities and programs. The overall purpose of the CPP is to provide for and encourage the public to participate in an advisory role in the planning, implementation, and assessment of Oregon’s CDBG-DR funded programs. (Note: While HUD requires the development of a “citizen” participation plan, OHCS assigns equal value to responses from all Oregonians.)
Advisory Committee
An Ad Hoc Advisory Committee helped shape the
ReOregon Action Plan through a series of meetings in spring and summer 2022. The Ad Hoc Advisory Committee advised both OHCS staff and the Housing Stability Council (HSC – the governing body of OHCS) on key items such as budget and priorities. The committee was made up of stakeholders such as state elected officials, representatives of local governments, non-profits working on disaster recovery, and two members of the HSC.
OHCS has brought back together members of that committee, along with several additional stakeholder representatives, to form a ReOregon Advisory Committee. That group met for the first time in April 2023. The primary purpose of this group will be to inform OHCS staff on high-level policy and strategy decisions in implementating ReOregon. Any future Substantial Action Plan Amendment (SAPA, see below) will also be reviewed by this body. The membership is made up of representatives of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Oregon Legislature, HSC, local governments, and interested non-governmental organizations. To request notification of ReOregon Advisory Committee meetings, please email
reoregon@hcs.oregon.gov with ReOregon Advisory Committee in the subject line.
Substantial Action Plan Amendment (SAPA)
OHCS can make minor amendments to the Action Plan as needed. Changes to the Action Plan, if they are major, must follow the Substantial Action Plan Amendment process. Changes that require a SAPA include:
- Changes to program benefits or eligibility criteria
- Addition or deletion of an activity or program
- Significant changes to the budget (i.e., a change of $5 million or more, or changing a program budget by 15% or more). When major budget changes are proposed, OHCS must explain how those changes relate to remaining unmet recovery needs.
When OHCS proposes a SAPA, the amendment will be posted on the state’s CDBG-DR website for a 30-day public comment period. The amendment will be posted in adherence with the Americans with Disabilities Act and language accessibility requirements. OHCS will review and respond to all public comments received and submit the comments and responses along with the proposed amendments to HUD for approval. A SAPA does not go into effect until HUD approves it.
Language Access Plan
(OHCS) created a
Language Access Plan English (LAP),
Language Access Plan Spanish (LAP)to ensure that OHCS provides appropriate language assistance so individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) receive meaningful access to OHCS’ CDBG-DR programs. LEP individuals include persons who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. All ReOregon public facing documents will be translated into Spanish. Documents will be translated into other languages on request.