We Want to Hear from You

If you have been the victim of or witness to a bias incident or bias crime, the Oregon DOJ Bias Response Hotline wants to know about it, and we want to help you. The services listed here offer support, assistance and more information for anyone who has been impacted by a bias crime or incident.

Bias Response Emergency Fund

Starting April 1, 2022, the Bias Response Hotline will open applications for a limited emergency fund to assist victims of hate crimes and bias incidents in Oregon in their recovery. The fund may pay up to $1,000 for emergency costs incurred within 90 days of a bias incident or bias crime to assist with safety that a survivor is otherwise unable to afford. The fund can cover expenses such as:

• Security measures, including buying and installing home security cameras and video doorbells, changing locks, and repairing windows and doors. 
• Relocation for safety purposes, whether temporary or permanent, including rent or partial rent, security deposit, moving costs, emergency hotel stays, other transportation costs, or pet boarding.   
• Costs incurred due to the bias incident or bias crime rendering the victim unable to work, including rent or partial rent, food costs, phone or internet bills, or other utility bills.
• Property damage directly resulting from the bias incident, including repairs/clean-up for hate speech graffitied on personal property, clean-up costs for damage done to the victim’s yard, vehicle or home, and insurance deductibles when insurance has covered the primary losses in these situations. 

Please call the Bias Response Hotline to apply. Funds are not guaranteed.

Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 137, Division 68, rules 137-068-0010 to 137-068-0050 guide this fund.  For questions about the administrative rules, please contact Valerie Smith at 503-378-5348 or Valerie.Smith@doj.oregon.gov.  Valerie is unable to accept applications for the emergency fund.

Legal Assistance

Oregon Free Legal Answers – Oregon State Bar recently launched a new online legal resource.  Low-income clients submit questions on the law to a secure web portal.  Pro bono lawyers log on at their convenience, choose a question they are qualified to answer, and provide free answers, advice and resources. It currently focuses primarily on landlord/tenant matters.  They are starting to recruit lawyers in many other areas to join the program (consumer, family, immigration, employment and housing law).

Crime Victim & Survivor Services Division

The Oregon DOJ’s Crime Victim and Survivor Services Division (CVSSD) is here to reduce the impact of crime on victims’ lives. We help victims cover crime-related costs and we support statewide victim services programs. We promote and protect victims’ rights, and we provide information and resources.

Victims’ rights guides »

Victim assistance programs »
Helping victims navigate the criminal justice system.

Crime Victims’ Compensation Program information »

Links to legal help resources »

Resources for Immigrants and Refugees

Hate Crime Book

Oregon DOJ is proud to work with Esther Young Lim who created How to Report a Hate Crime ».  Please see Oregon’s own booklets below:

Oregon Disability Resources for Afghanistan Evacuee Relocation

Oregon Centers for Independent Living – Information in English (PDF)

Oregon Centers for Independent Living – Information in Pashto (PDF)

Oregon Centers for Independent Living – Information in Dari (PDF)

Centers for Independent Living may provide the following services:

• Information and referrals,
• Disability peer-counseling,
• Independent living skills training (budgeting and financial management, application assistance, etc.),
• Individual advocacy and systems advocacy
• Transition services (community relocation, nursing homes, assistance to those at risk of entering institutions, and youth to postsecondary life),
• Counseling,
• Assistance securing housing or shelter,
• Transportation referral and assistance,
• Physical therapy, and
• Mobility training.

Renters’ Rights Handbooks by Legal Aid Services of Oregon

Renters’ Handbook on Harassment/Hostile Living Environment » (English)

Manual Para Arrendatarios Sobre Los Entornos De Vivienda Con Acoso/Hostiles » (en Español)