Home Forward Has Almost 500 Housing Vouchers From Last June; Obtains $2 Million Cash Bailout for Unpaid Rents

Last week, Multnomah County released a homeless count stating the county had (at least) a 50% increase in the number of people sleeping outside or in vehicles. And today, Willamette Week reports that the local public housing agency Home Forward is still struggling to deploy almost 500 emergency housing vouchers it received a year ago even in the face of receiving a $2 million federal windfall for rent debt. The issue of “why a voucher can’t be used to pay back rent” seems vexing. Read more.