STATE
6A — THE OBSERVER
SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2021
Oregon grants to cover missed
rent for over 2,600 businesses
By JAMIE COLDBERG
The Oregonian/OregonLive
SALEM — Oregon
plans to pay the outstanding
rent of more than 2,600
businesses and then off er
another round of aid to
businesses in need.
Business Oregon, the
state’s economic devel-
opment agency, will dis-
tribute nearly $50 million
on April 12 to cover the
missed rent of a combined
2,609 commercial tenants
across the state, according
to spokesperson Nathan
Buehler. That’s pending
the receipt and approval
of fi nal documentation
from those tenants and
landlords.
The grants will be paid
directly to landlords to
bring their tenants current
on rent by covering out-
standing rent those tenants
accumulated from March 1,
2020, to Feb. 28, 2021. The
state off ered grants of up to
$100,000 per tenant, but the
average grant request was
$19,159.
Eighty-four landlords
who applied for grants, 54
of whom are in the Port-
land area, indicated they
had individual tenants who
owed more than $100,000
in missed rent, according to
Buehler.
The grants are part of the
state’s $100 million com-
mercial rent relief program,
which lawmakers approved
in January. Business
Oregon, which is adminis-
tering the fund, will reopen
applications for another $42
million round in mid-April.
Nearly 88% of the
applicants that applied for
funding through the pro-
gram earlier this month
were approved, pending
fi nal confi rmation of their
documentation.
Applicants in most parts
of the state were approved
for funding as long as they
met the necessary require-
ments, but Business Oregon
only funded 80% of appli-
cants from the Portland
area. That’s because the
state is working to dis-
tribute grants equitably
across the state.
Business Oregon held
a lottery to determine
which eligible applicants to
approve. Those that weren’t
approved initially will auto-
matically be considered
along with new applicants
during the second round of
funding in April.
While the vast majority
of applicants were
approved, it is still unclear
how many business owners
across the state are behind
on rent due to the pandemic.
While both landlords
and tenants must partici-
pate in Oregon’s applica-
tion process, landlords must
submit the initial applica-
tion. Landlords who accept
the funding must also sign
an agreement forgiving any
outstanding penalties or
interest and promising not
to evict their tenants.
Despite the commercial
rent relief program, busi-
ness groups and owners
also remain concerned
about a looming eviction
crisis.
Oregon lawmakers
allowed the state’s morato-
rium on commercial evic-
tions to expire last Sep-
tember, but gave business
owners until the end of
March to repay their out-
standing rent. That may
have prevented an onslaught
of commercial evictions
over the last six months.
Lawmakers are consid-
ering a proposal to give
business owners until the
end of September to repay
rent bills they accumulated
during the worst days of the
coronavirus recession last
year.
However, lawmakers are
unlikely to vote on that bill
before the current grace
period expires at the end of
March, potentially opening
up businesses owners to
evictions if their land-
lords have not applied or
been approved for funding
through the commercial
rent relief program.
Oregon offi cials warn of
fourth COVID-19 surge
By SARA CLINE
Associated Press/Report for America
PORTLAND — As
vaccine administration
continues to ramp up in
Oregon, health offi cials
said Friday, April 2, they
are concerned about the
increasing number of
COVID-19 cases in the
state and variants of the
virus.
During the past
two weeks, Oregon’s
COVID-19 case count
rates have been rising. The
week of March 22 coro-
navirus cases increased
by 28% from the pre-
vious week, based on the
Oregon Health Authority’s
COVID-19 report that was
released Wednesday.
“It is clear that in
Oregon and across the
country the fourth surge
of the virus is at our door-
step,” Gov. Kate Brown
said Friday.
Health offi cials say that
if more contagious vari-
ants take hold in Oregon,
the COVID-19 transmis-
sion rate in the state could
increase by 20% during
April.
“As this latest model
shows, we still have work
to do. We must remain
vigilant,” said Dean
Sidelinger, the health
offi cer for the Oregon
Health Authority.
A rise in cases is not
just a concern in Oregon.
Earlier this week, the head
of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Preven-
tion pleaded with Ameri-
cans not to let their guard
down in the fi ght against
COVID-19, warning of a
potential fourth wave of
the virus and saying she
has a recurring feeling “of
impending doom.”
Speaking during a vir-
tual White House briefi ng
on Monday, Dr. Rochelle
Walensky grew emo-
tional as she refl ected on
her experience treating
COVID-19 patients who
are alone at the end of
their lives.
Brown said that while
Oregon’s increase is not
as large as spikes in other
states, the issue has put
offi cials and Oregonians
“back on alert.”
Offi cials say that if
cases continue to rise,
some counties may move
back a risk level, in which
stricter restrictions are
implemented.
In addition, offi cials
warned this week that
as Oregonians celebrate
upcoming holidays, to
continue to follow restric-
tions and safety measures,
including gathering out-
doors instead of inside
and wearing a mask.
“We have come so far,”
Brown said. “Don’t let the
vaccines and sunny spring
weather give us a false
sense that we are in the
clear, because we are not.
This virus has proven that
it can mutate.”
Multiple variants have
been reported across the
state and circulating since
late 2020.
“This is a race between
the vaccines and the
variants, it is a critical
moment for all to double
down so we can outrun
this next wave,” Brown
said.
So far, 17% of Ore-
gonians have been fully
vaccinated.
Beginning Monday,
statewide, frontline
workers, people living in
multi-generational house-
holds and adults 16 and
older with underlying
health conditions are eli-
gible for the vaccine.
As of Wednesday,
twenty counties received
approval from the Oregon
Health Authority to accel-
erate their vaccination
timelines and have already
begun vaccinating this
group.
In addition Gov. Brown
announced Friday that
household family mem-
bers of frontline workers
will also become eli-
gible for vaccine doses on
Monday.
Offi cials say that all
residents 16 and older will
be eligible for the vaccine
by May 1.
“Just because we’re
vaccinated doesn’t mean
we can return to pre-pan-
demic life just yet,” said
Sidelinger. “Until we see
enough Oregonians vac-
cinated to stop the spread,
we must continue with
those preventive mea-
sures. We cannot cede our
momentum to the virus.”
OFFER ENDS April 9th
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ENTERPRISE
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La Grande, OR 97850
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541-239-3782
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