Affordable Housing in Portland, OR

This page collects the specific programs, agencies, phone numbers, and rules that apply in Portland and Multnomah County — not generic Section 8 advice. Portland sits in a state with unusual protections: Oregon's SB 608 (2019) made it the first state in the country with statewide rent control and just-cause eviction, and the rent cap was tightened further by SB 611 (2023). Home Forward's Short-Term Rent Assistance provides up to 24 months of help. The named resources below are where to start.

Emergency Help Tonight in Portland

If you need a safe place to sleep tonight or are facing an imminent eviction, these are the local resources to contact first:

• Joint Office of Homeless Services (Multnomah County) / 211info — central referral for shelter intake across the metro. Call 211 or visit 211info.org
• Transition Projects — operates the largest day center (Resource Center) and several shelter beds across Portland. Outreach, hygiene services, and case management. tprojects.org
• Portland Rescue Mission — emergency shelter for men (Burnside Shelter), plus the Shepherd's Door long-term recovery program for women and children
• JOIN — outreach and rapid rehousing across Portland
• Central City Concern — shelter beds, supportive housing, addiction recovery, and primary care. centralcityconcern.org
• Oregon Harbor of Hope — Bybee Lakes Hope Center — large emergency shelter on the former Wapato Jail site
• Salvation Army Cascade Division — Portland Tabernacle & Female Emergency Shelter — emergency shelter for men, women, and families
• Raphael House of Portland — domestic violence shelter and 24-hour crisis line: (503) 222-6222. Bilingual advocates
• Bradley Angle — DV shelter and survivor support, including LGBTQ-specific services
• Volunteers of America Oregon — multiple shelter and recovery programs
• 211 Oregon — free 24/7 information line for shelters, food, financial assistance, and social services

For a full walkthrough of finding shelter the first night, see our emergency housing tonight guide.

Section 8 in Portland: Home Forward Status and How to Apply

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in Portland are administered by Home Forward, the rebranded Housing Authority of Portland, which manages over 11,000 vouchers across Multnomah County. Current status (checked September 9, 2026):

• The HCV waitlist is closed as of September 9, 2026 with no scheduled reopening. Home Forward opens the list periodically. Watch homeforward.org
• Five property waitlists are open right now, closing September 21, 2026. Home Forward opened property-based waitlists for Meadowlark Place, Dahlke Manor, Hollywood East, Medalion and Gresham Civic Station on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m., closing Monday, September 21, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Applicants must earn "less than 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI)." Apply at connect.homeforward.org. After September 21, check homeforward.org/waitlists for the next opening (checked September 9, 2026)
• Two categories are always open. Home Forward: "Waitlists for Housing Choice Voucher and Project Based apartment communities are always open for anyone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and life expectancy of less than 12 months," and its ADA-accessible apartment waitlists "are open for people who require ADA features"
• Short-Term Rent Assistance (STRA) — Home Forward's countywide rapid rehousing program. Provides up to 24 months of rental assistance to households in Multnomah County experiencing or at risk of homelessness, plus emergency hotel/motel vouchers and case management. homeforward.org/rental-assistance/short-term-rent-assistance
• Other special programs: HUD-VASH for veterans, Mainstream vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities — separate referral processes
• Apply to neighboring authorities too: Washington County HA, Clackamas County, Vancouver Housing Authority (Washington state, across the river), and Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS, statewide) run separate lists
• Status check: call Home Forward at 503-802-8300, or Rent Assistance at 503-802-8333, if you've already applied and need to verify your position on the list

For the national application process, see our step-by-step Section 8 guide and how to find your PHA.

Emergency Rental Assistance in Portland (Named Programs)

If you're behind on rent or can't pay this month, these are the local programs currently operating in Portland. Funding shifts month to month — always call to confirm current availability:

• Multnomah County Emergency Rent Assistance — county-funded rent help administered through the Portland Housing Bureau and partner agencies. portland.gov/phb/rent-relief/multnomah-county-rent-assistance
• Home Forward Short-Term Rent Assistance (STRA) — also functions as ongoing emergency rent help. Up to 24 months for income-qualified Multnomah County households at risk of homelessness
• Oregon Rehousing Initiative — OHCS received $39 million through SB 5701 to fund statewide rehousing programs moving households from homelessness to permanent housing. oregon.gov/ohcs
• Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) — Renters' Rights Hotline — counseling and renter advocacy. 503-288-0130. oregoncat.org
• Oregon Law Center / Legal Aid Services of Oregon — free legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction
• Catholic Charities of Oregon — emergency financial assistance, food, immigration legal services, and case management. Spanish, Russian, and other language services
• St. Vincent de Paul of Portland — one-time emergency rental and utility help through local parish conferences
• Salvation Army Cascade Division — eviction prevention and utility assistance
• Sno-Cap Community Action Centers in East Multnomah County — utility and rent help

The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) has ended

OERAP, the state pandemic-era rental assistance program, is closed — funds are exhausted. The current paths in Portland are Multnomah County Emergency Rent Assistance, Home Forward STRA, and the named nonprofits above. Don't waste time on the OERAP portal.

Utility assistance: Oregon Energy Assistance Program

Oregon's LIHEAP equivalent (Oregon Energy Assistance Program, OEAP) is administered by community action agencies. In Multnomah County, Multnomah County Energy Assistance and the Community Energy Project provide help. Apply through Multnomah County DCHS or call 211. Lowering your utility bill frees up cash for rent.

Tenant Rights in Portland & Oregon

Oregon has some of the most distinctive tenant protections in the country. Portland adds local rules on top:

• SB 608 (2019) — first statewide rent control and just-cause eviction in the U.S.: Oregon became the first state to enact statewide rent stabilization. Rent increases are capped, and after the first 12 months of tenancy, landlords must have a just cause to evict or decline to renew. SB 611 (2023) tightened the cap further
• Annual rent cap (2026): as updated by SB 611 (2023), rent increases are limited to the lower of 10% or 7% plus CPI per 12-month period. The Department of Administrative Services publishes the annual maximum in late September each year. Newer buildings (under 15 years old) are exempt from the cap but still subject to just cause
• Source-of-income protection is the law statewide: ORS 659A.421 makes it illegal in Oregon for a landlord to refuse a Section 8 voucher or other government rental subsidy. File a discrimination complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) Civil Rights Division
• 10-day notice for nonpayment (ORS 90.394) — moderate among states
• 30-day notice to end month-to-month within the first year; 90-day notice with just cause after the first year (under SB 608)
• Security deposit return: within 31 days of move-out with itemized deductions (ORS 90.300). Oregon does not cap deposit amounts
• Warranty of habitability: ORS 90.320 imposes detailed habitability duties on landlords; tenants have repair-and-deduct, rent-reduction, and rescission remedies
• Retaliatory eviction is illegal under ORS 90.385 within 6 months of tenant complaints or organizing
• Self-help eviction is illegal: ORS 90.375 prohibits lockouts, utility shutoffs, and removal of belongings, with substantial penalties
• Eviction sealing: Oregon allows tenants to petition for sealing of eviction records in many cases, including dismissals and tenant-favorable outcomes
• Portland tenant-specific rules: Portland Renter Protections include relocation assistance for no-fault evictions, mandatory landlord screening criteria disclosure, and additional source-of-income protections. Check Portland's PHB Rental Services Office for current ordinances
• Fair housing: Oregon's fair housing law protects more classes than federal law — including source of income, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and victims of domestic violence

For free legal help: Community Alliance of Tenants Renters' Rights Hotline (503-288-0130), Oregon Law Center, and Legal Aid Services of Oregon. For state-level details, see our Oregon housing resources. If you experience discrimination, see how to file a housing discrimination complaint.

Other Housing Programs in Portland

• Public housing: Home Forward owns and manages public-housing communities across Multnomah County. Application is separate from Section 8
• LIHTC (Tax Credit): Portland has substantial LIHTC inventory. Search HUD's LIHTC database for properties in Multnomah County. See how to find LIHTC housing
• Portland Housing Bond & Metro Bond — voter-approved bonds that finance affordable housing development; new income-restricted apartments continue to come online
• Portland Inclusionary Housing (IH): new buildings with 20+ units must include a percentage of affordable units. Listed at portland.gov/phb
• HUD-VASH (veterans): combines a voucher with VA case management. Portland-area veterans are referred through the VA Portland Health Care System. See how to apply for HUD-VASH
• Rapid Rehousing & Permanent Supportive Housing — coordinated through the Joint Office of Homeless Services (Multnomah County). Access via 211 or Coordinated Access
• Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) — statewide HCV for non-Home Forward areas, homebuyer assistance, and rehousing initiative. oregon.gov/ohcs
• HUD-approved housing counseling: find a counselor through the HUD counselor locator — Hacienda CDC, Neighborhood Partnerships, and Portland Housing Center cover Portland

Next Steps

Not sure which program is right for you? Our Where to Start tool asks a few quick questions about your situation — emergency vs. long-term, family vs. individual, employed vs. on benefits — and routes you to the right combination of programs. It takes about two minutes.

If your landlord just gave you a big rent increase, check whether it exceeds Oregon's SB 608 annual cap (10% or 7% plus CPI, whichever is lower). If you got an eviction notice, call the Community Alliance of Tenants Renters' Rights Hotline at 503-288-0130 — and if you've been a tenant for more than 12 months, the landlord must show just cause. For rent help, apply to Multnomah County Emergency Rent Assistance and Home Forward STRA in parallel.