Finding Help In Tough Times | http://extension.oregonstate.edu/emergency/tough_times.php
Many Oregonians need help for the first time in their lives due to rising consumer debt, falling housing prices, and increasing costs of living. Oregon State University Extension Service created a web page with links to assistance options so people know where to start. Visit the web site to find help with:

• » Where to Go for Help.
• » Finding Help with Finances.
• » Finding Help Finding a Job.
• » Finding Help with Housing.
• » Finding Help Feeding Your Family.
• » Finding Help for Children and Families.
• » Finding Help for the Elderly.
• » Finding Help with College Funding.
• » Finding Help Staying Physically and Mentally Healthy

Free Credit Reports | www.annualcreditreport.com
Thanks to the Fair and Accurate Transaction Act, you can now check your credit rating for free every 12 months. Each of the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - is required to provide you with one free report.

You can request your three free reports at one time or stagger them throughout the year. The reporting companies do not share information so checking your credit file with one company does not ensure that the same information is contained in your other two files.

You can also request free reports via:
Toll-Free Phone: 877-322-8228
Mail: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

However you make contact, be prepared to answer personal questions and to provide information about recent transactions and the size of outstanding loans for security purposes so they can verify you are who you say you are.

Government Recalls | www.recalls.gov
Visit www.recalls.gov to find out if the U.S. Government has recalled a particular product for being unsafe, hazardous, or defective. The site covers alerts issued for consumer products (including toys), motor vehicles, boats, food, medicine, cosmetics, and environmental products by six different federal agencies.

Help For New Immigrants | www.welcometousa.gov
The www.WelcometoUSA.gov web site is packed full of information for both newcomers to the United States and citizens who want to help immigrants. Visitors can find English classes and volunteer opportunities, learn about U.S. history and government, and apply for citizenship. The site also offers tips for finding a job, housing, health insurance, childcare, personal finance, and paying taxes among many other topics.

NeighborImpact | www.neighborimpact.org
NeighborImpact is a Central Oregon non-profit organization with the mission of breaking "the cycle of poverty by helping remove the barriers that prevent people from achieving economic self-sufficiency." Their free services include childcare resources, emergency services, family shelter, food bank, Head Start program, home ownership center, home rehabilitation loan program, weatherization, energy education, and transitional housing. NeighborImpact's home ownership specialists have helped many Central Oregonians cope with, and sometimes avoid, foreclosure.

Opt Out of PreApproved Credit Card Offers | www.OptOutPrescreen.com
One of the worst kinds of identity theft occurs when new accounts are opened in victims' names without their knowledge. One way you can protect yourself is by asking the three nationwide consumer reporting companies to take you off their list to receive preapproved credit card offers in the mail on www.OptOutPrescreen.com. You can still apply for any credit card offer you want; you just won't be receiving unsolicited offers in the mail anymore.

Oregon Helps! | www.oregonhelps.org
This web site has a convenient online form to help you quickly determine your eligibility for government assistance programs. You will need to have your income, mortgage/rent, real estate taxes, and home fire insurance amounts on hand.