This Thursday, December 10, Portlanders struggling from health or financial impacts of COVID-19 will have the opportunity to apply for $500 in cash assistance through a City of Portland program to help households pay for urgent needs such as food, dependent care, medicine, rent and utilities, and transportation.

The Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) launched the Household Assistance Program in September, and partnered with United Way of the Columbia-Willamette on an initial public offering of more than 2,800 prepaid debit cards in October.

In response to overwhelming demand, the City has allocated additional funding to make another 4,000 cards available through a second application round.

“The City of Portland’s emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis prioritizes housing stability, food security, and support for the most vulnerable in our community,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. “The urgent need for PHB’s Household Assistance Program is reflected in the community’s response to the first round of funding availability. The program is helping ease the daily struggle of those who are most deeply impacted by the pandemic’s severe economic impact.”

Applications will be accepted online on Thursday, December 10, from 3pm to 6pm. The application window will remain open for three hours and all applications submitted during that time will be accepted. Once the application window has closed, applicants will then be selected from the applicant pool at random using a lottery system.

The Household Assistance Program is part of a $38 million investment in housing relief measures by the City of Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau in response to COVID-19, including $19.5 million in for rent assistance and $1.6 million in housing stabilization support. The majority of the funds are being distributed in collaboration with more than 30 culturally specific community organizations in an effort to better serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, and those facing barriers to a public application process.

In total, the Household Assistance Program is expected to assist more than 31,000 Portlanders.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-12-07 17:59:03

Last Update: 2020-12-08 10:20:19