State Rent Assistance Re-Opens January 26th
The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program opens up again this week, Wednesday, January 26th, for a limited time only. Tenants will have three-five weeks to submit their applications, depending on availability of funds, and then the program will close again for an undetermined amount of time.
Please note, the state is prioritizing folks based on scale of need, not first-come-first-serve, though it is still best to get your application in as soon as possible, especially if you are at risk of eviction.
Tenants who apply can receive Safe Harbor eviction protections that prevent landlords from evicting tenants until their application is processed. Please note new Safe Harbor protections from Senate Bill 891 are in place until a tenant’s application through OERAP or another local rent assistance program has either approved or denied your application. This is an important change from the previous 60-90 day “Safe Harbor” protections that were in place last year, and last through September, 2022. Tenants must show proof to their landlord that they applied for the program to receive the protections. You will receive a letter that will suffice as proof during the application process.
Applications still awaiting landlord/tenant response at the time of closure are subject to funds remaining when application is finalized and approved, and prioritization scoring is applied and are not guaranteed for payment.
Tenants at immediate risk of eviction should apply for rental assistance right away to access Safe Harbor protections and should contact a legal organization. 1) Oregon Law Center’s Eviction Defense Project: 888-585-9638 or evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org 2) Oregon State Bar: 503-684-3763 or legalhelp@oregonstatebar.or
Tenants should expect a delay prior to processing and payment but can count on accessing their Safe Harbor eviction protections immediately.
What can I be doing now until the applications re-open?
Check out the OERAP Tenant Checklist and make sure you as much as possible ready to go for Wednesday!
APPLY NOW, FUNDS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR A SHORT TIME ONLY!