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activities with the State's E&T program. The Governor of Oregon issued three Executive Orders to address homelessness in Oregon: Declaring a state of emergency due to homelessness; Directing all State agencies to prioritize reducing homelessness; Establishing a statewide housing production goal and housing production advisory council. Oregon has the fourth-highest rate of unsheltered homelessness in the country and the highest rate of unsheltered homelessness for families with children. A primary cause of homeless in Oregon is the severe housing shortage, especially in affordable housing. In response, Oregon has established an annual housing production target of 36,000 homes. Currently the trades workforce is lacking enough trained employees to meet the housing production target and employers are seeking assistance in obtaining quality trained individuals seeking to enter the workforce. We have found one of the most effective strategies to support individuals in moving out of homelessness and into permanent housing is increasing access to meaningful and sustainable job training and employment. The Oregon SNAP E&T program continues engagement with a Workforce Board currently on contract to provide SNAP E&T services, to identify a joint strategy to address this multi-pronged emergency. Additionally, the SNAP E&T service provider, Klamath Works, offers the Career/Technical Education service component, focused on training participants in construction and resulting in two industry-recognized and portable credentials through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). Klamath Works utilizes a Construction Job Coach who is a certified NCCER trainer. Trainings and on-site demonstrations of construction activities are conducted at various job sites and manufacturing facilities in the Klamath Falls area. This ensures participants receive not only training and credentials but are able to network and gain connections through their training to support career opportunities and support housing development after completion in alignment with the Governor’s executive orders. Describe the extent to which the State agency is carrying out SNAP E&T programs in coordination with title I programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). ODHS participates in the Workforce System Executive Team (WSET) and collaborates with the nine local Workforce Boards.
Oregon’s Workforce System is guided by the priorities of the Governor and the strategic goals adopted by the Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board (WTDB). In order to achieve those goals, the Workforce Cabinet has chartered the WSET, a partnership consisting of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Program Director table, committed to an aligned vision of the workforce system, that seeks to collectively serve business and program participant customers across programs and funding streams. The work of WSET is directed and supported by the Workforce Cabinet and the Governor’s office. The WSET supports the Workforce Cabinet and the WTDB to implement the alignment of Oregon's workforce investment, education, and economic development system. The WSET provides joint guidance and criteria for the integration of the workforce system, commits resources for system priorities and makes recommendations to agency leadership on policies, programs, and funding priorities. On the local level, ODHS managers participate in local leadership teams, comprised of Vocational Rehabilitation, TANF, SNAP, the Oregon Employment Department, the local Workforce Board, and the Title I provider. This allows for opportunities to coordinate programs, better understand partner funding and programming, and to collaborate for braiding of funding and services among the programs. ODHS has local SNAP E&T Steering Committees, comprised of SNAP E&T Navigators, TANF Family Coaches, and SNAP E&T providers. Title I is invited to these meetings for partnering, learning, and collaboration. Service coordination takes place in conjunction with Title I providers, and they often pay for training or other items 1/29/26, 9:33 AM State Plan OR FY26 - Original Submission https://dam-fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/microsite/snapet-orfy26stateplan//index.html 13/378