SALEM, Ore.–Credit unions in Oregon are expected to be prime distribution points for funds being provided by the state to thousands of Oregonians who have been awaiting unemployment benefits or whose claims were denied or who never filed in the first place.
Those individuals will be able to obtain one-time $500 checks from a state fund, according to the Business Tribune.
The publication reported legislators, who set aside a $35 million fund at a meeting of the Emergency Board, are preparing to roll out the program with the help of two state agencies and participating financial institutions. Applicants will have to meet some eligibility requirements but the application form will be kept simple.
Lisa Taylor, a spokeswoman for Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), said more details will be announced after the participating institutions — mostly credit unions but believed to include at least one bank — sign contracts with the Department of Administrative Services and Department of Justice. The Employment Department is not involved. She said lawmakers do not want to prompt a run on participating institutions, the Business Tribune said.
‘A Way to Help’
An official of SELCO Community Credit Union confirmed to the publication that the CU is one of the participants, and that people will not have to be members of the participating credit unions to apply for money.
"We just see it as a way to help out our fellow Oregonians when it's clear a lot of people need help right now," Tiffany Washington, a SELCO senior vice president, was quoted by the Business Tribune as saying. "For a credit union, that is at the core of what we do. We had an opportunity to do our part in helping deliver this money to people.
"A lot of work has been put in to create a really simple application," Washington continued. "Our hope is that people will be able to visit a credit union and leave with their money."
The amounts will not count against unemployment benefits.
Who Qualifies
To qualify for $500 checks, people will have to be at least age 18, prove their identity and their current Oregon residence so that there is no duplication and no out-of-state beneficiaries. They also must attest on the application form that their monthly pretax income was $4,000 or less — and that they are experiencing severe or indirect financial hardship resulting from Gov. Kate Brown's executive orders that virtually shut down business activity and public life during the coronavirus pandemic, the report stated.
If applicants submit false information and are caught, they will have to repay the money.