Oregon FHS Headquarters Building to be Renamed in Honor of Governor Roberts

A permanent display will be unveiled in the building lobby, chronicling Governor Roberts' contributions to Oregon human services.

Former Governor Barbara Roberts Photo Courtesy: State of Oregon

(SALEM) - A ceremony this week will rename the Oregon Department of Human Services building in Salem for a former Oregon governor who spent much of her career advocating for Oregonians' unmet human services needs.

The dedication of the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building is set for 11:00 AM, Wednesday, in the lobby of the DHS headquarters building, 500 Summer St. N.E.

Three Oregon governors will participate in the ceremony -- Governor Kulongoski and former governors Barbara Roberts and Victor Atiyeh, as well as other elected officials and former DHS directors.

A bi-partisan bill passed by the 2005 Oregon Legislature called for renaming the building in honor of Governor Roberts, who began her public service as a legislative advocate for children with disabilities, fighting for the educational rights of an autistic son.

Her human service accomplishments included securing federal waivers and funding for the Oregon Health Plan, the first such plan in the United States; increasing availability of low-income housing; spearheading an increase in the number of children statewide in the Head Start program; advocating for programs to help move Oregonians from welfare to work while ensuring healthcare and childcare needs continued to be met; fighting for insurance to cover outpatient drug and alcohol treatment; and advancing teen pregnancy prevention programs throughout Oregon.