The Portland Housing Bureau has reallocated $1 million from its budget into a COVID-19 Emergency Household Stabilization Fund for households suffering a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will provide limited direct cash assistance to at least 2,000 households to help cover urgent needs like groceries, rent, utilities, and medical expenses.

$200,000 of these funds will be available to the public next week through an open application. The remaining funds are being distributed via internal referrals through a network of social service providers serving culturally specific communities, and individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

​​​​​​​How to Apply

Households can apply for $250 in emergency assistance beginning Monday, April 27 at 10am by contacting 2-1-1 or going to https://www.211info.org/covid19. Applications from eligible households will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis. Assistance with language interpretation or accessibility is available.

211 staff will also be able to connect applicants to additional community resources and assistance, such as discounts for sewer and water charges, crisis vouchers, and the Utility Safety Net program offered by the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Portland Water Bureau.

Eligibility

To be eligible for Emergency Household Stabilization Fund assistance, a household must be experiencing a loss of employment, income, dependent care, or some other hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and earning no more than 50% Area Median Income prior to any loss of employment or income due to COVID-19.

Applicants will need to include documentation of the COVID-related hardship they are experiencing with their application, such as a letter from an employer, clients or customers, a healthcare provider, or school citing COVID-19 as a reason for reduced hours, termination, loss of business, school closure, loss of childcare, or inability to work, etc.

To access the application* and list of acceptable documentation, visit: https://www.211info.org/covid19

*Application available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Vietnamese.​​​​​​​

Translations:

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