Homes on Smokestack Lane Northeast on Jan. 12. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
State housing officials said Monday they received nearly 600 applications for rental assistance in Marion and Polk counties during the week the deadline to apply was extended.
The program, run by the state Housing and Community Services department, was intended to help Oregonians struggling to pay rent due to the pandemic.
State officials planned to stop accepting new applications for rental assistance on March 14 but announced a one-week extension after the federal Department of Treasury committed to giving the state an additional $16 million.
Between March 14 and 21, 482 people in Marion County applied for assistance through the program as well as 112 Polk County residents, said OHCS spokeswoman Beth Byrne in an email Monday.
Spokesman James Kwasnik said Friday afternoon that the agency was reviewing applications for eligibility and prioritizing assistance for household most in need.
“Depending on the number of eligible applications we may or may not have sufficient funds to pay every application in the system,” he said in an email. “However, every application will receive a notification if there aren’t sufficient funds to pay their application so the applicant can seek funds from other programs.”
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
