Oregon Rent Assistance Program Put On Hold As Money Runs Low

OREGON CITY, OR — If the pandemic has hurt you financially and you've been getting ready to apply to the state for emergency rental assistance, you are going to have to wait. Oregon announced Friday that they've already requested all the money from the federal government for the emergency rental program run by the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department.

As a result, The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program will stop accepting applications for six weeks starting at 12 a.m. on December 1.

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The state received $360 million in pandemic relief from the Treasury Department, of which $289 million was allocated for rental assistance. Demand has outstripped what's available.

"It is clear the need for emergency rental assistance is far greater than the amount of federal funding available for the program at this time," OHCS Director Margaret Salazar said

Salazar added that the state hopes that by stopping the flow of applications for six weeks the agency will have the opportunity to try for additional funds.

If that fails, the state will look to cover the shortfall.

Governor Brown said that one possibility is getting the state legislature back in a special session to find more money for aid.

"I have worked closely with the Oregon Legislature since the beginning of this pandemic to provide a range of resources to support both renters and their landlords.," Brown said in a statement.

"Those conversations will continue, with the goal of bringing forward a proposal for the Legislature to consider in a special session in the upcoming weeks."