What Should I Do If I Can’t Pay Rent?
Please be aware that Oregon has a statewide eviction moratorium in place that prohibits evictions for non-payment of rent, fees or utilities. Please see below for more information.
Oregon State Grace Period Extension and Tenant Protections as the Moratorium Ends
The statewide moratorium on evictions for nonpayment and evictions without cause ends on June 30, 2021. Starting July 1, rent is due every month, and tenants can face eviction for nonpayment if rent is not paid in time. Starting July 1, no-cause evictions that were allowed prior to the COVID pandemic are once again allowed.
But two new laws, Senate Bill 282 and Senate Bill 278, provide important protections to help tenants recover from the pandemic period.
• Senate Bill 282 says that tenants have more time to pay back-due rent, fees or other
charges that came due during the moratorium period. From July 1, 2021 through
February 28, 2022, landlords cannot evict tenants for rent arrears from April 1, 2020 to
June 30, 2021. This new law contains additional tenant protections such as relaxed
limitations on guest occupancy, protection from negative credit and eviction history
during the pandemic, and increased protection from retaliation.
• Senate Bill 278 says that if a tenant shows their landlord documentation that they have
applied for rent assistance, the landlord is not allowed to evict that tenant for
nonpayment for 60 days, to allow for processing of the rent assistance application.
• But note that Multnomah County Ordinance No. 1296 says that if you live in
Multnomah County, the landlord is not allowed to evict that tenant for nonpayment
for 90 days, to allow for the processing of the rent assistance application.
Fore more information, please see the PDF below from Oregon Law Center/Legal Aid Services of Oregon.
Grace-Period-Extension-and-Tenant-Protections-7-28-21Landlord Compensation Fund
Oregon Housing and Community Services has also set up the Landlord Compensation fund to provide assistance to landlords whose tenants have not been able to pay rent. More info is available here: Landlord Compensation Fund (oregon.gov). In order to apply, landlords will need tenants to sign the Declaration of Hardship linked above.
Multnomah County Additional Eviction Protections
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a 30-day extension to Senate Bill 278 so that Multnomah County have 90 days of protections for renters who apply for rent assistance and notify their landlords. Please see info on the ordinance for this here:
COVID-19 Eviction Protection Information | Multnomah County (multco.us)
Who Can I Talk to for More Guidance around the Eviction Moratoria?
- For further guidance about the eviction moratoria, customers can contact or visit:
- If a tenant receives a notice of eviction for nonpayment, they should call 2-1-1 immediately to get directly connected to information and resources.
- Additional nonpayment of rent eviction information about legal protections are available at the Oregon Law Center website.
- Tenants whose landlord has taken them to eviction court can call the Eviction Defense Project line (888-585-9638) or email the Project (evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org) to seek legal help. Tenants should leave a message on the intake line or by emailing with their name, date of birth, and eviction case number.
- Renters who have gotten court papers about an eviction can call the Eviction Defense Project line (888-585-9638) or email EvictionDefense@oregonlawcenter.org
- https://www.oregonrentersrights.org/
- Community Alliance of Tenants Renter’s Rights Hotline 503-288-0130 where customers will leave a message and get a call back. Hours: M, W, F, Sat 1pm-5pm, Tues 6pm-8pm https://www.oregoncat.org/
- In Multnomah County, Legal Aid Services of Oregon https://lasoregon.org/services/ Portland: 503-224-4086
- In Multnomah County, prescreening for legal services is also available through Steve Lara at El Programa Hispano: slara@elprograma.org 503-935-4256. He can provide information about tenant rights in English or Spanish without providing legal advice and can also serve undocumented people.
- In Washington County, Oregon Law Center http://www.oregonlawcenter.org 503-640-4115
- The City of Beaverton is staffing a phone hotline 503-629-6427 and email account CovidHousingInfo@BeavertonOregon.gov to respond to questions, with a commitment to maintaining a 24 hour response time for calls received M-F. The phone hotline will offer information in English and Spanish and responses in multiple languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese. The email hotline will offer information and responses in Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
What Should I Do If I Can’t Pay my Mortgage?
Governor Brown extended Oregon’s foreclosure moratorium until Dec. 31 2021. Please see more info here: Gov. Kate Brown extends Oregon’s foreclosure moratorium until the end of the year – oregonlive.com. Oregon will make more than $90 million in assistance available to homeowners in the coming months through the Homeownership Assistance Fund. The state is recommending that struggling homeowners contact a housing counselor for support.
You can also find more info around help for homeowners here: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/mortgage-and-housing-assistance/
What Housing Resources Are Available? (Shelters / Coordinated Access/ Rent and Utility Assistance)
Oregon Emergency Rent Assistance
Starting May 19, 2021, qualified renters may begin applying to the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance for funding to pay rent, rent arrears, future rent, and certain home utility costs. Every renter that applies will have their application reviewed, and relief resources will be distributed to those who meet the following federal eligibility requirements:
- have income less than 80% of Area Median Income (AMI);
- have an individual in the household who has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic;
- demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability due to past-due rent or utilities.
Federal guidance requires that grantees prioritize households with incomes less than 50% AMI and households with one or more members that have been unemployed for at least 90 days. OHCS is using four factors in addition to these two, including: household size, months behind on rent, 2020 wildfire impact, and if the household lives within a census tract identified by the nationally recognized Urban Institute Rental Assistance Priority Index as a census tract with a high prevalence of low income renters at risk of experiencing housing instability and homelessness due to COVID.
This checklist can be helpful in determining if someone is eligible for the Oregon Emergency Rent Assistance.
Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until 2022 or until program funds run out. In most cases, payment will be made directly to the landlord or utility provider. To find out additional information about criteria or to apply to the OERAP program visit OregonRentalAssistance.org.
Multnomah County
- For information on shelter access and other housing resources, please call 2-1-1.
- For information on affordable housing prevention resources and homeless resources, call 2-1-1 or see refer this contact info based on your participant’s household type.
| Household Type | Contact Info |
| Adults only with no household member under 18 years old | Coordinated Housing Assessment Team (caa@tprojects.org , 844-765-9384) and the Transition Projects Day Center (650 NW Irving St, 503-280-4700, www.tprojects.org/resource-center) |
| Families with household members under 18 years old | Call 2-1-1 |
| Unaccompanied Youth | Janus Youth through the Access Center (1635 SW Alder St, 503-432-3986, www.janusyouth.org) and through mobile outreach. |
| Households Fleeing Domestic Violence | Call to Safety – formerly the Portland Women’s Crisis Line (503-235-5333, www.calltosafety.org) or, for Spanish, Project UNICA (503-232-4448, https://www.projectunica.org/) |
| Veterans | Online SSVF Pre-Screening Form (https://www.tprojects.org/help/veterans/ssvf.html), Veteran Services Hotline (855-425-5544), Transition Projects Day Center (650 NW Irving St, 503-280-4700, www.tprojects.org/resource-center), and VA Community Resource and Referral Center (308 SW 1st Ave, 503-808-1256 or 800-949-1004 ext. 51256, https://www.portland.va.gov/locations/crrc.asp) |
Multnomah County Rent Assistance
- 211info can refer applicants seeking eviction prevention assistance from the COVID-19 Rent Relief Program to organizations throughout Multnomah County that can offer assistance. See more info at www.211info.org/multco-rent. The wait list opens periodically; if it’s closed, continue to check back regularly for updates. CALL: 211 or 1-866-698-6155 (Language interpreters available by phone) TTY: dial 711 and call 1-866-698-6155 TEXT: your zip code to 898211 (TXT211) (text available English and Spanish) EMAIL: help@211info.org (email available in English and Spanish) When you call, you’ll need to provide some initial basic information. Someone will call you back to go over further intake details. There will be a waiting period, but please know that agencies are working to help as quickly as possible.
- Visit SEI’s short term rental assistance web portal to schedule an appointment. https://sei-stra-portal.communityappointments.com/
- NW Pilot Project housing assistance: At least one household member must be 55 years old or over, the household must live in Multnomah County or be homeless and must not include minor children under 18 years of age. To request an assessment, call (503) 227-5605. More info: https://www.nwpilotproject.org/rent-or-deposit-assistance/
Washington County
- For information on shelter access, call the centralized Shelter Intake at Community Action ‐ 503‐726‐0850, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For an updated list of open severe weather shelters in Washington County, contact 211 info or look at the Shelter Activation List available online: www.co.washington.or.us/homeless
- For information on affordable housing prevention resources and homeless resources, the Community Connect system continues to operate with assessments performed via phone, as well in‐person assessments are conducted in compliance with social distancing. Call 503‐640‐3263.
Other services include:
- Hillsboro Friends Church Day Center is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for meal, bathroom, and charging your cell phones. Center follows COVID safety precautions to include social distancing of all persons 6 feet or more apart, 1 person using the restroom with sanitizing after each use, and “to go” meals available.
- To access services at Hawthorne Walk‐In Center, call the crisis line at 503‐291‐9111.
- Domestic Violence Resource Center’s 24/7 Crisis Line is staffed and running to provide support and/or resources. Trained Crisis Line Advocates can be reached at (503)469‐8620.
- Project Homeless Connect has opened a day center at the corner of Washington St and 6th Ave in Hillsboro. Services include showers, laundry, mail pick up and help with IDs. The center is open M-Th 9am to 3pm.
- Winter Shelter delivers meals and other basic needs to those camping or otherwise living without housing in Western Washington County (Forest Grove, Cornelius, Gaston, Banks). Call 541-640-1790 M 6-8, T 1-5, W 11-2, Th 2-5, F 6-8 or email westaco.winterservices@gmail.com.
Washington County Rent Assistance
Emergency rent assistance is available to income-eligible Washington County residents who are past due on their rent. To request rent assistance, call 503-615-0770, or fill out the online screening request HERE.
- Calls are answered until all appointments for the day are filled. Call volume is high and hold times are long. If you receive a busy signal, please call back immediately. Hold times can be up to 90 minutes due to the high volume.
- When you call, please be prepared to give us names, dates of birth, social security numbers for everyone in the household, an estimated monthly GROSS income amount the household has received in the past 30 days, and your landlord’s contact information.
For more information, visit Community Action’s COVID-19 FAQ page:
www.caowash.org/coronavirus-faqs.html .
The City of Tigard and the City of Tualatin have rent assistance available through St. Vincent de Paul. They can be contacted at svdp.rent@gmail.com or 503-684-8280. City of Tigard also has water assistance through the same phone number or svdptigardwater@gmail.com.
The Beaverton City Council voted to approve ordinance 21250, extending eviction protections from 60 to 90 days to renters living within the City of Beaverton.
City of Beaverton residents can apply for rent assistance through the following organizations:
- Community Action-503-615-0770 (call every day at 9 a.m. until appointment is scheduled with staff)
- APANO (bicultural and bilingual assistance available for Asian communities), 971-245-2501 | covidsupport@apano.org
- Centro Cultural (bicultural and bilingual assistance available for the Latinx community) 503-359-0446, centroinfo@centrocultural.org
- Muslim Educational Trust (bicultural and bilingual assistance available for Muslim community, and Arabic and Somali communities), 503-579-6621, leadership@metpdx.org
Utility Assistance-Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington Counties
Find information about utility and water assistance at https://www.211info.org/energy. You can also contact 2-1-1 in the following ways:
- Dial 211 (toll-free)
- Text your zip code to 898211
- Email help@211info.org(link sends e-mail) (Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm)
Utility assistance (Electric/Gas/Water/Stormwater/Sewer/Garbage/Recycling) is also available to Washington County residents through Community Action. Requests for Utility Assistance can be made Monday – Thursday from 9:00 am – 12 pm by calling 503-615-0771 or by requesting an application at the link below at any time. See more information here: https://caowash.org/programs/energy-assistance/. For a link to the energy assistance application request form: https://caowash.org/programs/energy-assistance/energy_request.html
How Can I Get a Temporary Mailing Address?
Contact 2-1-1. For Multnomah County, please see the resources at the following link: http://www.navigateresources.net/info/MatchList.aspx?k;Portland,%20Multnomah%20County;40530;;N;0;1385181;Temporary%20Mailing%20Address;Temporary%20Mailing%20Address;Partial to view a list of temporary mailing addresses for use by people without bank accounts.
How Can Staff Stay Informed?
- In Multnomah County: Email johs-em-duty@multco.us to be added to the Multnomah County COVID 19 Situation reports email list. Email JOHSAdmin@multco.us to be invited to bi-weekly calls on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-9 am to hear live updates about COVID-19 related homeless services.
- In Washington County: Email Annette Evans at and ask to be added to the HSSN email list and receive Emergency Operation Center situation status reports.
Questions?
Please contact our subject matter expert on Housing / Shelter Resources, Blair Schaeffer-Bisht.