We are a Latino/a/x (hispanic/latino)-led, inter-generational coalition of community members, leaders, volunteers and organizations in the Rogue Valley, formed in the aftermath of the Almeda Fires. Our coalition seeks to weave a tapestry of many colors from many directions that will lift our peoples’ hearts up in this recovery, that will center healing, seed hope for our youth, and will give us the strength we need to prepare collectively for the climate challenges that are ahead of us. We work to create a future where every Latino/a/x voice can be heard and where Latino/a/x people can thrive with dignity, peace and justice. We believe that by fostering long term disaster resiliency and financial autonomy we can create a path for strengthening Latino/a/x families’ well-being in the face of climate change. Therefore, we are seeking to restore the Latino/a/x and indigenous communities and neighborhoods in the form of resident-owned communities (ROC’s), cooperative housing models or other permanent housing solutions to grow our autonomy, restore our social capital, and ensure a long-term solution to the housing and climate crisis that disproportionately threatens our BIPOC communities. We are a Latino/a/x (hispanic/latino)-led, inter-generational coalition of community members, leaders, volunteers, and organizations in the Rogue Valley. We represent a mixed-status, working-class community with deep roots here. We are of many ages, abilities, faiths, and cultural backgrounds. We have decades of experience responding to exploitation, discrimination, environmental injustice, racism, poverty, and housing inequality. We are experts in our fields of supporting the economic liberation of Latino/a/x communities. Authentic community leadership & representation.
2. Cultures of resilience & sustainability.
3. Social and economic solidarity.
4. Preservation of the local economy. Coalición Fortaleza has been serving and will continue to serve the Latinx families who
were impacted by the Almeda Fire in the areas of Talent, Phoenix, and unincorporated areas of
Jackson County. We know our families are a diverse community of farmworkers, seasonal
workers, low-income, mix-status, undocumented, disabled and now climate migrants. We are
working at a hyper-local level to advocate, serve and mobilize the Latinx community that lived
in manufactured home parks and federally-funded apartment complexes. We are all one disaster away from becoming climate refugees, but when the time comes for recovery, social injustices exacerbated by climate disaster leave Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities out of decision-making processes that will impact us
first and foremost. From our involvement in fire relief and rebuilding work in Jackson County over these past 8 months, we have learned the gaps that exist in the recovery efforts and the importance of having authentic leadership that is from the impacted community to advocate and stay in relation with all fire impacted folks. As experts of our own lived experiences, we have the imaginations, local knowledge and largest stake in ensuring that the rebuilding solutions don’t recreate the systems and conditions that have kept us in poverty and without access to life-saving information and
resources. We will focus on community-led solutions that will serve our most impacted members. Coalición Fortaleza is partnering with CASA of Oregon, who is deeply rooted in service to farmworkers, and strives to improve the livelihoods of underserved communities by
building and renovating affordable housing and neighborhood facilities and providing programs and resources that increase families’ financial well-being.
