- Local Oregon housing authorities administer affordable housing programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Housing Choice Voucher program, also known as the Section 8 Rent Assistance program, provides rent subsidies that enable low-income families to afford housing on the private rental market. The Section 8 program requires a participant to pay part of the monthly rent and the local housing authority pays the subsidy to the landlord. Housing authorities offer public housing units to low-income senior citizens, residents with disabilities and families. Public housing units can include single-family homes or apartments and feature a variety of sizes. Participants must meet income limits and must qualify as a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
- Oregonians seeking help to pay rent may qualify for state assistance or funding offered by nonprofit organizations. Oregon Housing and Community Services, or OHCS, offers rent assistance through the Low-Income Rental Housing Assistance Program. OHCS only extends eligibility to households with income at or below 50 percent of the median income in the applicant's local area and only provide short-term assistance. The Oregon Human Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization, provides rent assistance for low-income households through the Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program. The organization only provides assistance for households in Malheur County and extends a preference to residents with HIV/AIDS who participate in the Oregon Housing Opportunities in Partnership program.
- Both the State of Oregon and nonprofit organizations provide housing assistance for homeless individuals and families. The OHCS offers assistance through the Emergency Housing Account program, which provides help for homeless Native Americans, senior citizens, farm workers and the disabled. Administered through local community action agencies, the program provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, case management and mortgage or rent assistance for qualified participants at risk of losing their homes. The nonprofit Transition Projects operates multiple housing facilities for the homeless in Portland. The organization's Barbara Mahar Building provides housing for recovering women and the Clark Center has 90 beds for homeless men.
- Home buyers or homeowners facing foreclosure can find housing assistance programs through state and federal programs. The OHCS offers programs for moderate- to low-income households seeking to purchase their first house. The CashAdvantage program offers cash grants to help home buyers meet closing cost and down payment requirements, and the RateAdvantage program offers fixed-rate mortgages loans. Oregonians faced with foreclosure can get free help through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's foreclosure prevention counseling service. HUD-approved counselors help qualified homeowners apply for foreclosure prevention plans offered through the federal Making Home Affordable, or MHA, program. Homeowners who qualify for MHA assistance may avoid foreclosure through loan modification or refinancing plans.
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