February 18, 2022 3:00 a.m.

Nearly 40,000 Oregon households facing pandemic hardship have received over $282 million in rental assistance relief through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program, as of February 14th.

A release from the Oregon Housing and Community Services said OERAP continues to be one of the nation’s top-performing programs and is ranked 4th in the nation, in the percentage of federal ERA funds paid out and obligated, as tracked by the National Low- Income Housing Coalition.

OHCS is currently accepting new applications following its portal reopening on January 26th. Tenants can apply at www.oregonrentalassistance.org or call 211 with questions. New applications will start getting reviewed for payment once the portal closes to new clients.