Statement on Passage of New Tenant Protections in Special Session

Much needed relief is coming with Governor Brown signing urgent new protections into law that will extend Safe Harbor protections until the summer and earmark hundreds of millions in rent relief for Oregon residents. 

However, CAT will not stop until bold, long-term housing solutions are put in place to protect our most vulnerable neighbors. For months, we have been demanding our government take action that protects people who have applied for Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance, and those that haven’t. This announcement means thousands of people who were at risk of eviction while they wait for the broken OERAP system to cut them a check can breathe a little bit easier, however for thousands more who’ve yet to apply -- whether for lack of awareness of the program,  time, understanding, system glitches or more -- they remain on the chopping block. 

Stop gap solutions are what got us here. 

These ground up solutions will make our state more whole. 

Bringing the rent burden below pre-pandemic levels will take more than Safe Harbors. Oregonians have been set back further than they can imagine, during this pandemic that has cost us our jobs, savings, health, homes and of course our lives. 

We continue to face record evictions, and mounting anxiety in our state.

The upcoming short session will need to push the protections further. Without more bold action, we agree to be okay with sacrificing a record number of Oregonians to the eviction machine during an unprecedented housing crisis. 

These bills’ passage are a win for our 6,000 CAT members, and Tenants across Oregon, but now we must reset our eyes on the mission of making renters truly whole again.