…taking action for basic human needs. April 11, 2010 Dear Candidate, Oregon is a great place to live. Oregonians value each other and invest in our communities. The Human Services Coalition of Oregon (HSCO), a statewide group of more than 80 organizations and individuals, upholds these values and is committed to supporting opportunities for low-income and vulnerable Oregonians. Our mission is to promote the dignity of all Oregonians through improved public policy and strengthened support for human services. Twenty years ago, HSCO formed to unite human services advocates and to ensure that services for seniors, children, people with disabilities, and people with low-incomes remain a top priority for the state. As members of HSCO, we refrain from pitting ourselves, our programs – and most importantly – the needs of vulnerable Oregonians against each other. HSCO is very active during legislative sessions through weekly meetings, regular legislative visits and testimony on relevant issues. During the interim, we meet monthly. HSCO supports the following broad principles and will select specific issues closer to session: ♦ Social services programs and budgets in the Department of Human Services/Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Housing and Community Services, and other departments with programs that serve vulnerable people ♦ Budget stability and a robust rainy day fund, long standing issues of concern to HSCO ♦ Keeping costly tax expenditures within a reasonable framework and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) We would love to hear from you! Please see the following page for an opportunity to share your priorities with our coalition. HSCO does not endorse candidates. We will send your responses to our coalition members and post them to our Web site. As our state moves through these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever that we work together and think creatively to prioritize those who are most vulnerable. We look forward to working with you in the coming months and wish you luck in the campaigns. Sincerely,

Stephanie Tama-Sweet HSCO Co-Chair 503-828-8448 [email protected]

John Mullin HSCO Co-Chair 503-867-6236 [email protected]

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…taking action for basic human needs. Candidate Response Form: Please respond by April 30th, 2010 The Human Services Coalition of Oregon (HSCO) works to promote the dignity of all Oregonians through improved public policy and strengthened support for human services. Please help our efforts by responding to the following questions. HSCO is sending this letter to all legislative and gubernatorial candidates. HSCO does not endorse candidates. We will send your responses to our coalition members and post them on our Web site. Please tell us about yourself and your background with human services, broadly speaking (health issues, children, senior services, people with disabilities, Oregonians with low-incomes, etc): ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

What are your priorities as a candidate? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Anything else you’d like us to know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

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