June 15, 2021 3:20 a.m. 

Oregon counties and cities will receive more than $19 million in emergency housing vouchers.

A release from Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said that 28 counties and 2 cities will get the help through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Wyden said, “The economic fallout from the global pandemic has worsened a statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis”. Wyden said the vouchers give local housing authorities critical tools to “…provide Oregonians with the stability they need to build a life where they can thrive”.

Merkley said “I’ve been pushing for strong responses to meet the housing crisis so many families are facing, and that have become even more dire during the pandemic, and these grants are a good piece of the solution”.

A release said the vouchers are provided to assist individuals and families who are recently homeless, at risk of homelessness, experiencing long-term homelessness or fleeing intimate partner violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking.

Locally, over $419,000 is going to the Housing Authority of Douglas County.