Multnomah County spends a large amount of money on homeless services to cover rent for those who are at risk of losing their homes or who require financial aid to find new accommodation.
A portion of this funding—roughly 25% in 2024—is designated for long-term rent assistance, which is intended for those with disabilities, limited incomes, serious mental health conditions, or other exceptional situations that make it extremely improbable that they will ever be able to pay their rent on their own. The remaining $72 million for this fiscal year is allocated to either emergency or short-term rent assistance, which helps people cover a few months’ rent while they get back on their feet.
This expenditure has proven to be a successful strategy for keeping individuals in housing, according to recent county studies on two forms of short-term rent support.
Preventing evictions
According to a Department of County Human Services report released on November 5, Multnomah County intends to spend $23.8 million on emergency and short-term rent assistance to keep roughly 3,550 families from being evicted this fiscal year. The survey states that 92% of those who have previously received this kind of support remain housed a year later.
Since the state’s pandemic eviction prevention safeguards ended, there has been a significant increase in the demand for this kind of aid. According to the report, black tenants in Oregon have experienced eviction at a rate that is roughly twice that of white tenants.
According to the survey, more people will probably be evicted in the upcoming year as a result of rising rent and utilities prices. The report states that approximately 11% of Oregon renters who responded to the most recent Census Pulse poll were in danger of being evicted because they were behind on their rent payments.
According to the report, more than 11,000 eviction filings could occur in the 12-month period ending in June of next year if nonpayment eviction case filing rates remain unchanged for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Rent support for eviction prevention is financed by county, state, and metro tax revenues. It’s unclear how much the county will spend on the endeavor in the upcoming fiscal year.
The county is facing a $21 million deficit in its general fund that may need significant cuts, and a portion of the revenue comes from pandemic relief assistance that is expiring this year. However, Chair Jessica Vega Pederson has stated that she wants to maintain homelessness programs at their current levels. Additionally, Oregon Medicaid participants who are dealing with particular health issues can now access additional short-term rent help.
Quick rehousing
According to a study by the county’s homeless services department, Multnomah County intends to spend $48.8 million this fiscal year to help thousands of people who don’t have a permanent address find new homes. The county spent almost the same amount in the previous fiscal year to relocate 2,890 families into housing that covered their rent for an average of 11 months.
According to the study, which was given to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on December 3, 92% of the families who had received this type of assistance in previous years were still housed after a year, and 80% were still housed after three years.
The homeless services department intends to ask for an external assessment of its rapid rehousing program in order to determine which individuals have the best success rates and how effectively the program functions in Multnomah County in comparison to other areas.
According to the paper, the main objective of this evaluation is to determine what works and for whom in quick rehousing projects.
The Metro Homeless Services Tax provides the majority of the county’s quick rehousing rent assistance funding. The federal, state, and local governments are additional important sources.
For The Oregonian, Lillian Mongeau Hughes writes about mental health and homelessness. For advice or inquiries, send her an email [email protected]. You may also follow her at @lrmongeau on X.Your support is essential to our journalism. Please sign up for a subscription at OregonLive.com/subscribe right now.
Other stories on homelessness
-
Eugene authorities crack down on religious group feeding the homeless, but members vow we won t stop
-
Portland Mayor-elect Keith Wilson plans to keep predecessor s pick in powerful post
-
After history of loss, Portland s Albina district builds back
-
Portland City Hall insider to become Multnomah County s homelessness czar
-
Beaverton opens its first year-round homeless shelter
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
