191261

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1.  The Council finds:

1. In 2019, 5,904 eviction cases were filed in Multnomah County. Of those cases, only 3% of tenants had lawyers. Since 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an economic downturn throughout Oregon and in City of Portland with unprecedented numbers of layoffs and reduced work hours for a significant percentage of our workforce. This economic hardship, disproportionately affecting low and moderate-income workers and BIPOC workers, has resulted in lost wages and the inability to pay for basic household expenses, including rent. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nonpayment of rent was the leading cause of evictions within the state and in the City of Portland.

2. Evictions have long-term consequences for tenants including houselessness, the loss of personal possessions, decreased physical and mental health, poor school performance for children, job loss, housing discrimination, and the inability to find stable replacement housing. Evictions force low-income tenants further into poverty. Studies have shown that evictions and their resulting negative impacts disproportionately affect Black and Latino households, households headed by women, and households with children.  

3. 2022 Eviction filing data shows that many of the most impacted zip codes in Portland are in East Portland. With 223 filings, zip code 97233, which includes the Centennial neighborhood, was the most impacted community within Multnomah County. As BIPOC Portlanders are increasingly residing in East Portland, dedicated funding for East Portlanders can increase equity in the program by ensuring resources to support housing stability are available.

4. Evictions create significant costs within the City of Portland related to shelter funding, education funding, health care provided in hospitals instead of community–based providers, transportation costs, and foster care.

5. Providing access to counsel and financial assistance for tenants facing eviction is a proven means of preventing the disruptive displacement of families and the resulting social, economic, and public health costs of such displacement. Even if displacement cannot be avoided, counsel can help negotiate more favorable terms that allow more time to vacate, avoidance of a formal eviction on a tenant’s record and possible reductions in back-rent or other costs owed by the tenant.

6. The Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) recognizes the importance of providing legal and financial assistance to tenants facing potential eviction. In addition, as evictions disproportionately impact BIPOC renters, creating a targeted program in East Portland to prevent evictions and their negative consequences is a way to advance the City’s Racial Equity Goals & Strategies and Portland Housing Bureau’s Racial Equity Plan.

7. Funding is included in the Housing Bureau’s FY 2022-2023 adopted budget in the amount of $164,800.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

1. The Bureau Director or designee is authorized to execute a contract amendment with the United Way of the Columbia Willamette in the amount of $164,800 in a form substantially in accordance with Exhibit A.
2. The Mayor and Auditor are hereby authorized to make payments on this contract from the PHB operating fund budget.

Section 2.  The Council declares that an emergency exists because the program funds must be obligated within required timeframes; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by Council.