Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is processing for payment applications submitted through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) which stopped accepting applications on March 21. As of April 6, the agency has paid out $319.2 million in emergency rental assistance to 48,371 households.
Applications are being approved for payment or denied based upon the highest need, not on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants can continue to log on to the OERAP portal to check the status of their application. They will be alerted by email as their application advances.
Five counties and the city of Portland received allocations from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and are running their emergency rental assistance programs. Tenants can contact their local community actions agencies to inquire about additional available rental assistance resources. Renters can also call 2-1-1 or visit oregonrentalassistance.org for additional information.
Tenants who submit new applications to the local programs can access protections from eviction for nonpayment of rent while their application is being reviewed and processed. Tenants must show proof to their landlord that they applied for the program to receive the protections. Tenants at immediate risk of eviction should apply for rental assistance right away to access safe harbor eviction protections and contact a legal organization:
- Oregon Law Center’s Eviction Defense Project: 888-585-9638 or evictiondefense@
oregonlawcenter.org - Oregon State Bar: 503-684-3763 or legalhelp@oregonstatebar.org
