As of November 1, 2025, millions of Americans—including many older adults—may not receive their monthly food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. This disruption affects individuals living on fixed incomes, many of whom rely on SNAP to afford groceries and maintain their health.
The 2025 Age-Friendly Oregon Summit brought together policy makers, advocates for older adults and people with disability, livability and intergenerational advocates, and diverse Oregonians interested in making Oregon a great place for people of all ages and abilities.
Most of the people displaced by the Almeda Drive wildfire were low-income older residents who lived in one of a dozen mobile-home parks along the Oregon 99/I-5 corridor. Efforts to help them have been hampered by a tight job market, limited housing and the restrictions of the pandemic.
For the past year, older adults in Oregon read the Oregon Health Authority Covid reports daily including death counts that disproportionately impacted people 50-plus. And as the vaccine became available, the tension increased because of a rocky rollout and not enough vaccine for those who desperately wanted – and needed it. In our state, 91% of the deaths were from people 50 and older.
From Eastern Oregon to the Southern Oregon Coast, AARP Challenge Grants have helped Oregon communities with small projects to make communities big and small more livable. AARP has donated funds to 11 Oregon communities since the grant project began in 2017.