August 1, 2022 3:20 a.m.

Oregon Housing and Community Services will close the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program on August 12th.

An OERAP release said the portal remains closed to new applicants. Tenants with current incomplete applications or in need of recertification are encouraged to submit their materials right away. No new applications are being accept but tenants with existing applications in the system who fully submit their completed applications by the closure date will continue to be processed as funds remain.

The release said the state was recently notified that it would receive nearly $7 million in additional federal emergency rental assistance funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This funding will support families and individuals who have submitted recertification applications for addition OERAP assistance.

Oregon Housing and Community Services has paid out $390.38 million in emergency rental assistance to 60,829 households. The temporary emergency funding helped an estimated 130,000 Oregonians stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The release said Oregon has provided the highest percentage of assistance out of all the states, in the percentage of emergency rental assistance funds paid out and obligated.

Rental assistance remains available at the local level. For more information, tenants can call 211 or go to: https://www.oregonrentalassistance.org/.