PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington county residents voted for Measure 26-210 in May 2020, they approved a measure that aimed to prevent homelessness in the Portland area.
The Regional Long-term Rent Assistance program, a product of the supportive housing services measure, helps low-income tenants cover their rent each month. To encourage more landlords to participate in the program, county officials have offered a new incentive that would support housing-unit owners as well as their tenants.
According to Clackamas County, a new “Risk Mitigation Program” reimburses landlords if an RLRA-subsidized unit is in need of repair or if the tenant hasn’t paid rent. The county says an increasing number of private landlords in the tri-county area have opted into the program.
Corrie Etheredge, an employee at Portland-based nonprofit organization Northwest Family Services, told Clackamas County that the program helped an elderly client who recently moved to an assisted living facility.
“The last thing she needed to worry about was how to cover the cost of damages to the unit — which were incurred when she started having trouble navigating around the unit with her mobility device, and when the EMTs had to enter the unit to respond to her urgent medical needs,” Etheredge said in a statement.
She says the rent and repair needed for the unit were covered through the Risk Mitigation Program, which also helped Northwest Family Services keep a positive relationship with the property owners.
The Housing Development Center, which partners with the Portland Housing Bureau for an additional risk mitigation program, manages the reimbursement claims process for the incentive funding.
Housing-unit owners in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties can learn more about the program here.
Landlords who already oversee RLRA-subsidized units are automatically eligible for the program.