Wecreated a new page on our Rogue Workforce Partnership website to provide up-to-the-minute information and resource links to support businesses and workers – see Workforce Resources in Response to COVID-19<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705 \u00a0Business Conversations \/ Challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve had check-in confers with a few business leaders this past week, and have gained a deeper sense of the profound challenges our companies, workers, and communities are facing in this unprecedented time of crisis. As each of your organizations grapples with these immediate threats, please know that the RWP is deeply committed to working with all our partners to provide as much needed support as possible. We will help rally a collective, holistic, and community-wide response, and do the best we can to marshal resources, provide critical information, solve problems, and work with partners to coordinate help from all fronts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0State Workforce Agency<\/strong>\u00a0Coordination<\/strong>\u00a0 –\u00a0 We worked with Higher Education Coordinating Commission\u00a0(HECC)<\/em>\u00a0on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Layoff Aversion Funds<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 We\u2019ve accessed an initial allocation of\u00a0$102,740<\/strong>\u00a0in Layoff Aversion funds, to help support businesses in our region. We recognize that this share of a statewide $1.1 million allocation will not meet demands; But we\u2019re committed to accessing additional federal grant funds with our state agency partners, so they can be added to the toolkit of potential remedies to sustain businesses. More info on these funds can be found at the\u00a0Workforce Resources in Response to COVID-19<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0link and scrolling down or clicking on Layoff Aversion.\u00a0See attached Media Advisory<\/strong>\u00a0sent out today too that also speaks to these and other business support resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Dislocated Worker Grant Application<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0 We are also helping to craft a state grant application for additional federal Dislocated Worker funds that would include: 1) support service payments to enrolled participants; 2) helping interested and able laid-off workers\u00a0(e.g., from hospitality industry)<\/em>\u00a0to get trained to serve in critically-needed occupations such as healthcare and transportation\/logistics; 3) other trainings and support to address needs\u00a0(Please\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Share Any Ideas You Have!)<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0WorkSource Rogue Valley<\/strong>\u00a0& UI Claimant Surge<\/strong>\u00a0 –\u00a0 We are coordinating state-level response efforts with our regional\u00a0WorkSource Rogue Valley\u00a0<\/strong>operational oversight. The top priority is processing UI claims to support income security during the crisis. As of Wednesday, 30,000 Unemployment Insurance claims statewide needed to be processed. Telephone wait times to the processing centers in Portland and Bend were up to 60 minutes. And the online system crashed for a time, as the national data connections experienced problems. Oregon Employment Department is redeploying staff to create a third virtual processing center to handle the surge in UI demand\u00a0(see\u00a0Oregonian article<\/a>)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our region\u2019s two WSRV centers are following public health guidelines, and limiting the number of customers allowed in the center at any given time. We\u2019ve also coordinated with the Oregon Department of Human Services to ensure seamless referrals to other public benefits such as SNAP, TANF, etc. For more info on UI resources see:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0OED Unemployment Insurance<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Workforce Resources in Response to COVID-19<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705 \u00a0Regional Solutions Team Coordination<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We worked with Alex Campbell<\/strong> (Regional Solutions Coordinator\/Governor\u2019s Office)<\/em> and , Marta Tarantsey<\/strong> (Regional Development Officer \u2013 Business Oregon) <\/em>to coordinate regional workforce response efforts with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n }\u00a0\u00a0Small Business Administration Loans<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 –\u00a0 TheU.S. Small Business Administration is also offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the COVID-19. As of March 19, 2020,SBA disaster assistance is available to businesses in the following Oregon counties in our region: Curry, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake. It is also available in all counties within the state of California.\u00a0See attached Media Advisory for more information.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Business Oregon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 –\u00a0 The state\u2019s economic and community development agency, created an\u00a0Interim Guidance for Businesses<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that addresses planning for immediate and ongoing impacts to your organization as well as\u00a0Financial Resources and Planning.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Business Response Network<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(BRN)<\/em>\u00a0 –\u00a0 After consulting with County Emergency Managers, the Regional Solutions Team started making regular email communications regarding COVID-19 business impacts and assistance to southwest Oregon economic development and business services professionals\u00a0(e.g., SOREDI, Chambers of Commerce, SBDC, WorkSource Rogue Valley, RWP, etc.).<\/em>\u00a0The purpose is to\u00a0pass along\u00a0relevant information to our networks of businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RWP will be providing on-going, up-to-date information on the Workforce Resource in Response to COVID-19 to these business support organizations, as well as our broader array of partners, so that this information can be shared with employers and workers throughout the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Regional Economic Response Team<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(RERT)<\/em>\u00a0 –\u00a0 The Regional Solutions Team is also convening this group to\u00a0facilitate information sharing and ensure that Oregon\u2019s Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council (CEAC) hears from every part of the state. This RERT will be focused on Jackson and Josephine counties, and will have participants from regional economic development organizations, chambers of commerce, SBDCs, cities, counties, tribal governments, workforce officials, and federal agencies. The key purposes of discussions will be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Coordinating activity among\/between our various silos of economic development\/business services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Gathering questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Gathering input to feed up to the CEAC and\/or other state agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jessica Gomez<\/strong> (RWP Chair & CEO, Rogue Valley Microdevices)<\/em> and I will be participating at the kick-off meeting. In addition, future meetings will add in other regional business leaders to gather on-the-ground intelligence on the needs businesses and workers are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705\u00a0\u00a0Federal Coordination<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n RWP and our state association of Workforce Boards (Oregon Workforce Partnership)<\/em> are members of the United States Workforce Association. This gritty, loose-knit, boot-strap group of state associations has proved highly effective in engaging, informing, and influencing federal policy makers on workforce priorities and issues. We\u2019re getting regular updates from our contact in Washington DC, who is in regular conversations with key Congressional and White House staff. The attached HR6102 Coronavirus Response Overview<\/strong> provides highlights on the second package which President Trump signed Wednesday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to regular email updates, we will also post updates on all the areas covered above at our webpage –\u00a0Workforce Resources in Response to COVID-19<\/a><\/strong>. In the meantime, please contact me with any questions, concerns, ideas, innovations, challenges, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wishing you all the best in health, well-being, and fortitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim<\/p>\n\n\n\n James G. Fong<\/strong> | Executive Director<\/strong> <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Office: 541-842-2515 | Cell: 541-482-4381 | Email: jimf@rogueworkforce.org<\/a> | http:\/\/rogueworkforce.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Woolworth Building – 1st<\/sup> Floor w 37 N. Central Avenue, Medford, OR 97501 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We know that businesses and workers are rapidly responding to the COVID-19\/ Coronavirus circumstances. Many businesses are looking for help to access the resources that might be available to them to sustain their enterprise. Impacted workers are looking for help to sustain income and meet essential needs. Meanwhile the national landscape on resources being made…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n