Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
Shared Future Coalition - Bend’s Central Oregon location is one of the most desirable in the West. There is destination skiing in the winter, as well as every sport imaginable in the summer, including hiking, climbing, fishing, mountain biking, river sports, and two dozen golf courses within a thirty mile radius. The public school system is strong and there are private school options at all grade levels. A flourishing community college and satellite campus of Oregon State University attracts students from all over the nation. There are open-air concerts in the summer, and pre-Olympic snowboarding trials in the winter. Fine dining, brew pubs, art galleries, shopping, and fun for the entire family abound year ‘round. Reads like a travel brochure, doesn’t it? While indeed a highly desirable travel destination, and coveted place to live, Bend has an underbelly of serious problems. With an estimated population of just over 97,000 Bend is the 7th largest city in Oregon, encompassing roughly 33 square miles. The population of Bend is predominantly Caucasian (86%), with the largest minority group being Latinos (9%). In fall 2019, Bend was listed as the 3rd fastest growing city in the nation by WalletHub, with no end to that fast-paced growth in sight. That growth brings a culture clash between traditionally conservative rural residents and newer residents flooding in from more liberal areas of the state and nation. Sometimes called an “hour-glass” economy, there are many wealthy people in Bend, but just as many struggling to make ends meet and not many in the middle. About one in 11 people collected food stamps in 2019. The rental vacancy rate is less than one percent, with about one-quarter Bendites spending over 50% of their income on rent. Bend was designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in 1999 and remains so today due to Highway 97 extending from the Mexican to the Canadian border and passing right through the middle of Bend. Marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine are trafficked along this corridor by major Mexican cartels. Supply is high. Sometimes dubbed “Beer Town, USA”, the seemingly perfect marriage of the craft alcohol industry with destination tourism has positioned beer as an economic savior who arrived on the scene just as the great recession ravaged other local industries. Local media and community events celebrate craft beer, cider and spirits with great pride. With one brewery for every 4,500 people, Bend has bragging rights for the most breweries per capita in the state of Oregon, resulting in the common mantra: “Beer is everywhere!”. Legalization of non-medical marijuana in Oregon in 2015 launched a “green” rush in Bend’s retail and agriculture economy, as well as the neighboring rural farm lands. As of January, 2020, Bend has 24 marijuana retail dispensaries, the most of any Eastern Oregon county. Major community events are now sponsored by both alcohol and cannabis companies. With no tobacco retail licensure in Oregon, it is impossible to determine how many retailers of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco or vape products are present in Bend. The percentage of youth vaping has skyrocketed here, as it has across the nation. Perception of harm resulting from use of alcohol, marijuana and tobacco is low. In this town, youth substance abuse issues are often forgotten about, considered someone else’s problem, or a single, silver-bullet solution is seen as the only way to remedy the complex issues. The Shared Future Coalition will continue to use all aspects of the Strategic Prevention Framework and comprehensive strategies for community-level change to reduce youth use of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco/vaping. We will impact the root causes of easy social access to these substances, community laws/norms favorable to use, low perception of harm, and low access to treatment/cessation services. In addition, the Coalition will continue to strengthen community collaboration and capacity to utilize prevention best practices.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).