An infusion of federal funding will allow Oregon to extend its emergency rental assistance program for an additional week.
The online portal for accepting new applications for rent assistance was scheduled to close this week. Then the state got word from the US Treasury that a $16 million allocation was on its way.
With more dollars to work with, the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or OERAP, has set a new deadline of 11:59 pm on March 21. Anyone who has never applied in the past and has fallen behind on rent is encouraged to apply now.
According to OERAP, because the state has helped a record number of low-income families stay housed during the pandemic, Oregon was technically eligible to receive reallocated funds.
To start an application or check on the status of an existing one, visit oregonrentalassistance.org
Here is some important information for renters:
· Anyone who has not applied for OERAP in the past and has fallen behind on rent is encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance before 11:59 p.m. on March 21, 2022, at oregonrentalassistance.org.
· Applicants can continue to log on to the OERAP portal to complete their application or check the status of their finished application. They will be alerted by email as their application advances.
· If a tenant has an incomplete application in the portal, they now have until March 28, 2022, to complete it. This extension applies to applications that are incomplete at the time of closure. New applications will not be accepted after March 21, 2022.
· Tenants who submit new applications 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.
· OHCS will begin processing and paying out applications submitted in 2022 as early as this week.
