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This thread is for any subjects regarding the Housing Authority of Portland, Oregon (also known as HAP). The programs also have ties to State and Federal funding and regulations. Current and past renters, and those in need of this housing, Portland's homeless, low income advocates and activists, are encouraged to post, but others are also welcome to discuss relevant topics. Section 8, other HUD programs such as Section 236 etc, projects in this housing authority jurisdiction, the landlords of these units, the administration and government ... any opinions, experiences or questions related to the subject are welcome. Emphasis of this thread is on the experiences and needs of the people whom the programs serve- the renters; thus it is a pro-renter thread; though others may express opinions as well.
Links of a non- exploitative nature that are helpful to low income renters, are encouraged, please post them. Announcements of meetings, actions, etc are also vital, as often the people most concerned are not included in these notifications anywhere else it seems.Please include all relevant info such as date, time, and place.
This housing authority serves many thousands of low income renters, but there does not seem to be any other board that is open for their discussions on an ongoing basis. So this thread is born.
Some links:
Just wondering...how long are you required to live in portland to be an applicant for affordable housing?
are you planning on moving here and getting some housing subsidy? because you will in all likelihood have a wait of at least 2 years. The wait lists are all full, and the housing has been decentralized so that a person has to apply at the various housing projects themselves. The section 8 program takes at least 5-7 years on the wait list for most, even longer for some. We also have thousands of homeless in Portland, so I would not advise anyone moving into our town with the notion of getting some government housing. Not a feasible idea at all. We are in crisis, with the highest per capita rate of homeless of any state. Which means that the housing programs are not well run and they are not responding appropriately to the current need to create more units for the low end of the income ranges. Instead they are creating high cost units in very small numbers, for the lucky few. I would advise everyone thinking of moving to portland for subsidized housing , to look elsewhere for it. Sorry.
This thread is for any subjects regarding the Housing Authority of Portland, Oregon (also known as HAP). The programs also have ties to State and Federal funding and regulations. Current and past renters, and those in need of this housing, Portland's homeless, low income advocates and activists, are encouraged to post, but others are also welcome to discuss relevant topics. Section 8, other HUD programs such as Section 236 etc, projects in this housing authority jurisdiction, the landlords of these units, the administration and government ... any opinions, experiences or questions related to the subject are welcome. Emphasis of this thread is on the experiences and needs of the people whom the programs serve- the renters; thus it is a pro-renter thread; though others may express opinions as well.
Links of a non- exploitative nature that are helpful to low income renters, are encouraged, please post them. Announcements of meetings, actions, etc are also vital, as often the people most concerned are not included in these notifications anywhere else it seems.Please include all relevant info such as date, time, and place.
This housing authority serves many thousands of low income renters, but there does not seem to be any other board that is open for their discussions on an ongoing basis. So this thread is born.
Some links:
* i will update this post and add links, as i find the time.
Good grief! that's wierd. I went to update my opening post but it has no edit button. ok....
Well, here's another important link for the Housing Authority of Portland,
the Section 8 Administrative plan. It contains the rules of the program in Portland. It may be updated soon though:
My husband and I are planning on moving to Portland- it was a rather short-notice plan, and as it turns out, he will be getting laid-off from his job here in PA possibly in 2 weeks, which means we are thinking about just waiting a month and moving there instead of until August, which was our original plan.
If we DO move earlier, it's pretty likely that he will not have gotten a job there yet, and he'll be on unemployment. I am legally disabled, so I have an income as well, but neither of us will be working when we try to apply for apartments.
We expect that he shouldn't have TOO much trouble getting a temp agency to place him because of his job experience and education, but we don't know for sure if they can turn us down because neither of us would be working when we applied for a place and possibly not by the time we'd be moving in.
I read that Portland has a municipal code that states that a landlord cannot refuse to rent because of "source of income," whether it's state or federal, etc. and was wondering if anyone has encountered issues because of this? (or been crazy enough to actually move across the country without having first secured a job!)
I read that Portland has a municipal code that states that a landlord cannot refuse to rent because of "source of income," whether it's state or federal, etc. and was wondering if anyone has encountered issues because of this? (or been crazy enough to actually move across the country without having first secured a job!)
This might be Federal law by now, but you cannot discriminate due to source of income but a landlord can reject due to insufficient amount of income. So say you receive $1000 a month from SSI. On a $600 a month rental, a landlord can require income 2x rent, and in this case, reject on that basis.
Of course, source of income doesn't apply to any illegal sources.
However, the HAP web site does have a link to the Housing Connection database. This data base is very useful because it gives the bottom end of the housing market. Housing Connections
I am not sure exactly who runs and maintains this housing database, but it is a starting point for a few newbies to Portland.
As usual, be aware of the common bait-and-switch tactics used by a few large property managers:
'Housing connection advertised special is only a few units out of our large inventory, and the last one at the advertised rate on housingconnnections.org has just been rented. Let us show you a similar unit for only a few dollars per day extra; it has newer carpet and a fresh coat of paint.'
[quote]We expect that he shouldn't have TOO much trouble getting a temp agency to place him because of his job experience and education, but we don't know for sure if they can turn us down because neither of us would be working when we applied for a place and possibly not by the time we'd be moving in.
That depends on what his line of work is. There is a tremendous amount of competition for jobs in Portland and temp agencies are alternatives many people turn to in order to get their foot in the door for a full time job. Remember you are seeking work in a town where one help-wanted ad can generate hundred's of resumes in a couple of days.
Regarding a place to live, landlords can pick and choose. It is in their best interst to choose someone living here who has a steady job because so many potential renters to choose from. You may be able to find something in the outlying suburbs in a large apartment complex that is having a difficult time filling vacancies.
My experience with HAP housing is that you have to be earning a low income but you have to be earning some income. I don't know if they will rent to someone without a job. There is a waiting list as has been already mentioned due to the fact that there are so many low-income people in need of housing.
If you are looking to relocate, I would advise you to check out other cities besides Portland. You might find the conditions elsewhere are better for you.
Okay, I realized I haven't made our situation crystal clear and it looks like HAP is not the kind of organization that "housing authorities" are in some areas in which I've lived, that it looks like it only deals with HUD, section 8, low income, etc.
Let me explain first of all that I've moved 25 times since I turned 18, and all have been apts. except for a 6 years "stint" in a house owned by my ex-boyfriend. I know all the ins and outs of what landlords typically do, like the "bait and switch" thing, and know which places to avoid even looking at just based on the kind or number of ads they post. I've had some REAL interesting situations involving landlords, some of whom were private condo owners, some of whom were among the biggest real estate developers in my city, (Philly,) another in which my landlord was the private owner of the condo I rented but was also among, if not the owner of THE biggest real estate agency in Philly. I've also dealt with low-level apt. complex managers and management companies, and have been able to break a lease and get my deposits, even a non-refundable one, in the case of the building owned by the big developer, given back to me and even got to live there for a month free of charge while we looked for another place...it had...issues.
I had one landlord try to tell me I had to move out in another city within 3 days, however, I do my homework and make sure I know my rights and in that case, a call to that city's Housing Authority told me that this person was renting that unit to me illegally. We also had no written agreement, so I then told him that I would be staying for 30 more days while I found another place and that if he so much as looked at me funny, let alone tried to lock up my place, as he'd threatened to do, I'd already notified my friends, a few cops, of my situation and he'd be arrested because THAT is illegal. He avoided me like the plague for that month, then tried to sue me for "unpaid back rent," which didn't exist- we didn't even have a lease and I paid month-to-month and didn't owe him anything, and didn't show up at the hearing because I knew that only I had proof that I'd ever lived there- he didn't because I paid cash, to the people who ran his business in the space below my apt. and got receipts that they'd accepted the money, however, they didn't have copies of their own. I won that case.
So basically, I'm just trying to clarify what I'm finding as I do my homework regarding living in another state and city by looking up the state laws, city ordinances, etc. I've already obtained a copy of Oregon's landlord tenant laws as well.
Meanwhile, though we will not be employed, we also wouldn't qualify for subsidized housing- even half of my husband's income, (what he'll get in unemployment,) combined with mine, is well above the criteria for any subsidy. In fact, I won't even qualify for SSI, though I'm on SSDI, because SSI is based on your household income and doesn't count the SSDI, (disability,) I'm receiving.
So, we're definitely NOT looking in the suburbs or the outskirts of the city.
And while they can "pick and choose"-within the parameters of the law, in which case, they can't NOT choose us JUST because of our source of income...especially when we have excellent references- even from the aforementioned developer and real estate agency owner that we rented from, and our credit and background checks are also good.
As far as my husband's career history, we already had checked out the area for companies in his industry, of which there are many, but because he's an electrical and also a software engineer with his experience in certain things that are hard to find, he can find a job within virtually ANY company that has a few computers to working in some R&D dept. of that is looking for someone with his very specific qualifications in that field as well. Even in Portland, though I said in another thread that we were starting to look at Seattle just because there were so many other choices and it has a much bigger downtown with a lower unemployment rate and largely, cheaper rentals in areas we would want to live in.
Thanks for the advice, though. I figured I should just explain all of that so you don't have to waste your typing on me regarding that stuff!
well bebe, and is that- blasphemy (your nickname of course)? ummm, the fact that you will neither one be employed, would probably count a lot as to whether a decent landlord would rent to you. unless you had some other source of regular income that was adequate; or a large verifiable bank account and would pay 3 months in advance, etc. Landlords here are well aware of the housing shortage at the lower end. so, you would be in for some very stiff competition. It's in fact, a nightmare for many. but having good references of other kinds, does help at least partly. Won't make up for the job/ regular income thing though. They aren't likely to discriminate in terms of source of income. I know people on ssi and section 8, and the good rental references plus cooperating and paying up with initial deposit, are what counted for them. Also the landlord was being nice because of a need for them to move close to family. That sort of thing. But you need to realize, that there is a bias to some extent, to rent to locals over out of towners, for all kinds of reasons. Thus you need the solid local job first, then rent a good apartment second.
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"Source of income"
