A new financial incentive helps metro-area landlords rent to residents at risk of homelessness.
HDC is excited to partner with Clackamas, Washington, and Multnomah counties to launch the regional long-term rent assistance (RLRA) Risk Mitigation Program! The new financial incentive program makes it easier for landlords and tenants to make use of RLRA vouchers to prevent and reverse homelessness in the tri-county area.
RLRA vouchers help individuals and families at high risk of homelessness pay their rent. The RLRA Risk Mitigation Program reimburses landlords for excess financial losses or costs associated with providing homes to RLRA voucher-assisted residents—thus eliminating an obstacle to the use of RLRA vouchers.
The way the program works is simple. If you’re a landlord who experiences excessive damage expenses or operational losses associated with a unit covered by an RLRA voucher, you can request reimbursement from the RLRA Risk Mitigation Program. The program is open to owners of units covered by tenant-based or project-based RLRA vouchers.
HDC administers the reimbursement claims process for all three counties. HDC’s RLRA Risk Mitigation Program webpage contains details about eligibility and coverage, instructions for how to submit a reimbursement claim, and an online claim form. (HDC also administers claims for the Portland Risk Mitigation Pool, a similar but separate program operated by the Portland Housing Bureau.)
Recent beneficiaries of the RLRA Risk Mitigation Program include a metro-area property owner and an elderly, mobility-impaired property resident, explains Corrie Etheredge of Northwest Family Services. The resident was preparing to transition from her apartment to an assisted living facility, after an extended hospital stay, when an urgent medical situation arose. A visit by a team of EMTs caused physical damage to the apartment.
Because the resident was an RLRA voucher holder, the RLRA Risk Mitigation Program helped to cover the cost of repairing the damage—and replaced rent lost during the resident’s transition.
“[The Risk Mitigation Program funds] provided the participant the support she needed to transition to her next home, and it helped our agency maintain a positive relationship with the property, where we hope to help other seniors find housing,” said Etheredge.
HDC is pleased to be part of this coordinated tri-county effort to lower housing barriers to residents vulnerable to homelessness. We look forward to working with landlords across the metro region to put the RLRA Risk Mitigation Program to use!
Have questions about the RLRA Risk Mitigation Program and how to submit a claim? Contact Jake Kirsch at jake@hdc-nw.org or visit HDC’s RLRA Risk Mitigation Program webpage.
Have questions about the RLRA voucher program? Contact the RLRA landlord liaison for the county in which your property is located:
• Washington County: LandlordLiaison@washingtoncountyor.gov
• Clackamas County: rlralandlord@clackamas.us
• Multnomah County: dstirnaman@newnarrativepdx.org.