​FROM THE DESK OF ANN COFFEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

It’s March of 2021. This means that COVID-19 has been with us for a year.
 
What a year it’s been; exhausting, terrifying, and traumatic come to mind.
 
It's also been a time full of gratitude. The UCP community has come together and stood strong in our resiliency.
 
It’s been a time for growth and streamlining, as we seek new ways to complete our work; new ways to connect; new ways to find balance and purpose.
 
The COVID-19 vaccine is here, although not all of us are currently eligible or will choose to receive it. Scheduling has proven difficult. Inequity has been highlighted. Nevertheless, there is a light at the end of this tunnel … and I can finally say … the light is not coming from a train. It’s sunlight.
 
Change—good change—is on the horizon. We’re starting to envision a new future.
 
Folks are wondering when we’ll reopen the UCP Oregon office. I don’t have firm dates yet, or any concrete answers.

​But I can tell you that we’ll base our decision (s) on:

• The needs of our customers and employees.
• The “Official Risk Levels” of the counties that we provide services in, reside within, and maintain an office within.
• CDC guidelines and local health authority recommendations.
• Current COVID infection rates, and development of COVID variants.
• Vaccination benchmarks.
• Hospital capacity.
• The structure and function of our departments, as well as operational guidelines and rules that may have changed during the pandemic.
• School and childcare options.
• The safety of the physical office (ventilation, etc.).

Whew! That’s a lot to consider. We are committed to maintaining the health and safety of UCP customers and employees, to the very best of our ability.
 
So, I suppose I am saying: hang on. Clarity is forming. Mask up. Remain socially distanced. Assist customers to gain vaccinations if they choose to. Stay healthy and safe—we’re not at the finish line yet.
 
Thank you to everyone involved in keeping UCP safe. We will look back on this and feel proud. Proud to rise to the occasion among all the variables that have made this a most complex and unique year.


Sincerely,

Ann Coffey,
Executive Director
​UCP Oregon

As you may already know, our Executive Director (Ann Coffey) contributes to statewide disability projects all the time. 
 
What you might not know is that Ann was on the steering committee for a national policy project.
 
The 2021 “Case For Inclusion” was created through a partnership between the national UCP organization, and ANCOR (The American Network of Community Options and Resources).
 
The report details some of the extreme difficulties faced by groups like UCP Oregon, as they dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The report also lists specific actions that the White House and Congress can take to ensure the sustainability of community-based supports.
 
Way to go, Ann and everyone else who worked on the project!

It is with a heavy heart that we announce changes to UCP Oregon’s Supported Employment Department (“Employment Solutions”).
 
Employment Solutions supports adults who experience disabilities to find and keep fulfilling jobs in the community. As you might imagine, COVID-19 has had a huge effect on this department.
 
In March of 2020, most of the department’s employed customers lost their jobs due to COVID-19 restrictions, with very few able to be rehired in a contracting economy.
 
Over the intervening months, we have attempted to keep the department as whole as possible. We applied for (and received) COVID-19 relief grants. But three layoffs were necessary in July, and we are now forced to restructure again.
 
Department changes include:

• Eliminating the Department Director and two full-time Job Coach positions.
• Phasing out UCP’s employment services in Washington County. (We will to offer services in Multnomah and Clackamas counties.)
• Exiting a few customers from our services.
• Becoming more selective about the job seekers we support.

These changes will have a tremendous impact on UCP Oregon’s community. We are saying goodbye to some of our best and brightest, including our Employment Solutions Director, Melissa Miller. Read more about Melissa, and her contributions, here. 
 
Affected customers and employees have been informed, but if you have questions or need support, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

As many of you know, UCP has been forced to implement layoffs in our Supported Employment Department.
 
One of the biggest changes was that the department’s Director, Melissa Miller, was laid off. We’d like to take a moment to celebrate and honor Melissa’s achievements at UCP.
 
Melissa started at UCP more than 17 years ago. She applied to be a “Roommate” (a live-in caregiver), hoping to get a job and a place to live. As she says, though, she ended up finding “a family, a community and a mission.”
 
That mission? As Melissa says, it’s to “PUSH THE ENVELOPE and NEVER STOP PUSHING for those who need support.”
 
Over the years, Melissa worked in many of UCP’s departments, supporting and interacting with hundreds of customers and employees. She met her husband at UCP, and started her own family. Meanwhile, Melissa was creating a new department, Employment Solutions, and serving as a statewide advocate and voice.
 
As UCP’s Executive Director, Ann Coffey says, “Melissa is bold, fearless, opinionated, hard-working, and full of gusto. She moves mountains. And she will continue to push the envelope for equity and justice, wherever she may roam.”
 
Melissa’s right-hand woman, Nicole Vivanco, will step into a new role as manager of the Employment Solutions team.
 
Learn more about recent changes to Employment Solutions here.

We want to share a wonderful story. Last Friday, our Family Support Director (Katherine) woke up to a frantic phone call from a mom who is raising a child with cerebral palsy. He has a trach and vent, but they didn't have enough supplies to get them through the weekend.

Katherine jumped into instant action. She was able to share a week's worth of medical supplies from her family's personal stash.

Then she connected the mom to a new supply company, a new nursing agency, several other resources... and, of course, to UCP's Family Support Department!

Now mom and son could have a stress-free weekend and look forward to more support, connection and supplies. As Katherine says, "I love my job! I love my life!"

FROM THE DESK OF ANN COFFEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Hello, UCP employees, customers, families, board members, and community partners.
 
I am pleased to announce UCP Oregon’s Agency goals for the years 2020-2023:

• Life Enhancement: We envision a new service that supports quality of life for customers across their lifespan (babies, teens, adults and elderly) and across all aspects of their lives. 
• Funding and Fundraising: We envision diversification of UCP Oregon’s funding sources to become less dependent on government funding.
• Community Relationships and Education: We envision enhancing UCP Oregon’s “intentional education” efforts to better equip people and organizations on how to support, interact with and empower people who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). 
• Advocacy: We envision supporting UCP Oregon’s customers as they advocate for themselves and the disability community at the local and state levels.

 
These goals are customer-driven, and were created using the feedback from customer focus groups, UCP Oregon employees, UCP Oregon’s leadership team, and Board of Directors.
 
I’ve been employed by UCP since 2003, and been privileged to participate in strategic planning throughout the years. However, these goals are particularly near and dear to my heart, as they have incorporated customer feedback in a manner which supports UCP’s values of self-direction like never before. I look forward to supporting all of us to implement them in our work lives!


​Sincerely,

Ann Coffey, Executive Director