City of Portland fields record-number of rent-increase notices.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
The City of Portland fielded a record-number of rent-increase notices after landlords learned of protections were passed for renters.
It appears the wave of rent hikes are at the expense of low-income residents.
The agency manages thousands of its own apartments, but nearly two-thirds of its clients – 6,500 households – live in privately owned units and pay some or all the rent with Section 8 vouchers.
Landlords in the program need to get approval from Home Forward to raise rents. The agency approves requests as long as rents are in line with others in the area.
Since Oct. 15, two days after the City Council vote, Home Forward has received 489 such requests. According to Home Forward figures, the next highest monthly total was April 2012, with 389.
(SOURCE: OregonLive.com)
Mayor Charlie Hales announced Thursday that he will pursue budget cuts for several city agencies to deal with the housing crisis.
“Portland is in the grips of an affordable housing and homelessness crisis that requires additional resources to invest in the most effective approaches,” Hales wrote in his Nov. 19 budget memo to Portland commissioners. “We are experiencing an increase in gun-related violence that requires a robust response.”
A full picture of Portland’s expected revenue for 2016-17 won’t be available until December. But an October presentation from the city budget office noted Portland had “record revenue.”
(SOURCE: Willamette Week)
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