BUSINESS & AG LIFE
3B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021
Oregon tenants could soon receive rent protections
Lawmakers vote to
protect them from
eviction for 60 days
By JAMIE GOLDBERG
The Oregonian
SALEM — Oregon ten-
ants who are continuing to
struggle to pay their rent
due to the coronavirus pan-
demic may soon be pro-
tected from eviction if they
apply for rent assistance.
The Oregon Senate
voted 26-3 Tuesday, June
22, to approve legislation
that would protect residen-
tial renters from eviction
for 60 days if they apply
for rent assistance and
notify their landlords. The
vote came less than a week
after the Oregon House
unanimously approved the
legislation.
The bill will now head
to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk
for fi nal approval.
“None of us want to go
back home when this ses-
sion ends and see families
and children being evicted
because they are unable to
come up with the money,”
said Sen. Kayse Jama,
D-Portland, who carried
the bill.
Democratic lawmakers
introduced the new legisla-
tion last week in an attempt
to prevent an onslaught of
evictions after the state’s
moratorium on evictions
expires at the end of June.
Lawmakers gave Oregon
renters until Feb. 28, 2022,
to repay overdue rent accu-
mulated between April
2020 and this month,
averting massive bills for
past-due rent July 1.
But the new bill is the
fi rst legislation that would
off er eviction protections to
Oregon renters who can’t
pay their rent on time on
July 1 and beyond.
The state is in the pro-
cess of distributing $204
million in federal rent
assistance through the new
Oregon Emergency Rental
Assistance Program, but
Oregon Housing and Com-
munity Services offi cials
and community organi-
zations that provide rent
assistance warned law-
makers earlier this month
that they wouldn’t be able
to get much of that money
out before the eviction mor-
atorium expired at the end
of June.
The state agency said
it couldn’t roll out the new
rent assistance program
until it received guidance
from the federal govern-
ment on how the funds
could be spent. That delayed
the launch until mid-May.
Community organiza-
tions distributing rent assis-
tance said technical issues
with the state’s application
system have further slowed
down the process.
After learning about
the rent assistance delays,
Democratic lawmakers
rushed to introduce the new
legislation last week to pro-
tect struggling renters from
eviction if they are caught
up in the rent assistance
backlog. Under the legis-
lation, renters who apply
for assistance will be pro-
tected from eviction for 60
days after they’ve informed
their landlords that they’ve
applied. The provision
will remain in eff ect until
March 1, 2022.
The initial version of
the bill received signifi cant
pushback from Republicans
and landlord groups, who
said that housing providers
had already been pushed
to the limit and contended
that the new legislation
amounted to yet another
extension of the eviction
moratorium.
But lawmakers worked
last week to add new pro-
visions to the legislation to
provide more support for
landlords.
Under the legisla-
tion passed June 17, land-
lords who apply or have
applied for compensation
through the state’s Land-
lord Compensation Fund
will receive assistance for
100% of unpaid rent they
are owed by tenants. Pre-
viously, landlords who
received assistance were
required to forgive 20% of
unpaid rent.
Landlords could apply
for assistance through
the Landlord Compensa-
tion Fund through June 23.
Those that have already
received aid through the
fund will be compensated
for the 20% in back rent
that they were required to
forgive.
The legislation also
includes a provision
allowing landlords to apply
for relief if their tenants’
rent assistance applications
are rejected or they don’t
receive payment within
60 days after their ten-
ants submit documentation
proving they’ve applied for
rent assistance. That relief
would cover any missed
rent their tenants accumu-
lated while their rent assis-
tance applications were
being processed, with land-
lords receiving up to $5,000
per tenant.
The U.S. Census Bureau
surveyed more than 940,000
Oregon renters in their most
recent Household Pulse
Survey in May. More than
51,000 of the Oregon house-
holds surveyed said they
were behind on rent pay-
ments. And nearly 17% of
Oregon renters surveyed
said they had no confi dence
or only slight confi dence
that they could pay next
month’s rent.
The new legislation
could help many of those
renters, if they apply for
assistance. However, the
bill will not help tenants
who may not qualify for
rent assistance or may be
unaware of the aid avail-
able to them. The Oregon
Emergency Rental Assis-
tance Program is avail-
able to renters who have
incomes less than 80% of
the area median income,
have experienced fi nancial
hardship due to the pan-
demic and are in danger
of experiencing homeless-
ness or housing instability.
For a family of four in the
Portland metro area, 80%
of area median income is
$77,350.
Delays in distributing
the funds could also free
landlords to move ahead
with eviction proceedings
after 60 days.
Nearly 11,000 Oregon
households had applied for
more than $73 million in
rent and utility assistance
through the Oregon Emer-
gency Rental Assistance
Program as of June 15.
Applications for the pro-
gram have been open since
May 19.
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114 Self-Help
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UNION COUNTY
AA MEETINGS
LA GRANDE
MONDAYS
Brown Baggers
12:00 PM
First Christian Church
901 Penn Ave
South Door downstairs.
TUESDAYS
Into Action Group
12 - 1:00 pm
Presbyterian Church
1308 Washington Ave.
(entry 6th & Spring St.)
Brown Baggers
6:00 PM
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901 Penn Ave
South Door downstairs.
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Main Event
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City of Elgin
Greater Elgin Group
7- 8 :00 pm
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
93 S 12 St., Elgin
WEDNESDAYS
Island City
Soul Sister’s
5:30 p.m.
10801 Walton Rd.
Blue Springs Apartments
Community Room
Turning Point Group
7 - 8:15 pm
63161 Gekeler Lane
Fort Union Grange Hall
(Corner of McAllister &
Gekeler)
114 Self-Help
Group Meetings
AL-ANON, Cove. Keep coming
back. Mondays, 7-8pm. Calvary
Baptist Church. 707 Main, Cove.
Someone’s
drinking a problem?
AL-ANON
Meetings available by phone
Info for Baker City Meetings
Call: 541-523-5851 or
541-239-7323
AA MEETINGS
Wednesday Nights, 7-8:15pm.
Fort Union Grange Hall, corner
of McAlister & Gekeler Lanes.
For more info, call 541-786-1222
AL-ANON Attitude of Gratitude.
Wednesdays, 12:15-1:30pm.
Faith Lutheran Church.
12th & Gekeler, La Grande.
541-786-2051
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NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS
Monday, Thursday, & Friday
at 8pm. Episcopal Church
2177 First St.
Baker City
Drug Problem? We can
help!
Narcotics Anonymous
Phone: 541-805-2229
www.neo-na.org
T.O.P.S.
Meets every Tuesday Morning
8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
LDS Church in Island City.
Fragrance Free Group
CELEBRATE RECOVERY
Calvary Baptist Church
Third & Broadway
Baker City, OR
EVERY THURSDAY
6:15 - 8:00 PM
DO YOU HAVE....
HURTS, HABITS
and/or HANG UPS?
12 Step Biblical Support
Harvest Church
3720 Birch St. Baker City
Thurs., 6:30 - 8:30 PM
FRIDAYS
Brown Baggers
12:00 PM
First Christian Church
901 Penn Ave
South Door downstairs.
LA GRANDE NOW HAS A
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS
MEETING!
Every Friday Night @5pm, 2107
Gekeler Ln, LG, Church of Christ
basement. For more info please
call 971-219-8411
City of Elgin
Elgin Group
(Winter only)
6:00 PM
70564 Valley View Rd
(in shop)
NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS
Goin’ Straight Group
Meetings:
Mon., Tues. Thurs. & Fri.
Start at 8 PM
Episcopal Church Basement
2177 1st Street, Baker City
SATURDAYS
Grande Ronde Valley Group
7 - 8:00 pm
Presbyterian Church
1308 Washington Ave.
(entry 6th & Spring St.)
PEOPLE with PARKINSON’S
Caregivers, Family, Friends
SUPPORT GROUP
Contact Judith at
208-855-9199
Meetings resume @GRH
when restrictions ease.
Virtual Zoom AA Meeting
Everyday at 7:00 PM
To link to meetings, go to:
www.oregonaadistrict29.org
541-523-2673 Baker City | 541-963-3161 La Grande
114 Self-Help
Group Meetings
THURSDAYS
City of Cove
Cove Group
7 - 8:00 pm
Baptist Church
707 Main St.
B EARCO LOCATION HAS BEEN
PERMANENTLY CLOSED .
Questions call
AA Hotline: 541-624-5117
DEADLINES:
LINE ADS:
Tuesday: 8:30am Monday
Thursday: 8:30 am Wednesday
Saturday: 8:30 am Friday
DISPLAY ADS:
2 Days Prior to
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AL-ANON FAMILY GROUP
(Support for family & friends of
Alcoholics)
Tuesday evenings
Joseph Methodist Church
(basement on northside)
Joseph, OR
6-7pm. Contact 541-398-1398
Classified are worth looking into
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OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
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A.C.T.S.
Alcohol Chemical Treatment Series
Meetings at:
Lighthouse Church
10501 W 1st Street
Island City, OR 97850
Tuesdays @ 7PM
BAKER COUNTY
AA MEETINGS
BAKER CITY
MONDAYS
Survivor’s Group
12 -1:00 pm
Baker Presbyterian Church
1995 4th St.
(4th & Court, Side Door)
TUESDAYS
K.I.S.S.
(Keep it Simple Sister)
12 - 1:00 pm
1645 Eldon St. Eldon Court
Apts Community Room
WEDNESDAYS
Survivor’s Group
12:05 pm
Baker Presbyterian Church
1995 4th St.
(4th & Court, Side Door)
THURSDAYS
Survivor’s Group
12:05 pm
Baker Presbyterian Church
1995 4th St.
(4th & Court, Side Door)
NEW MEETING
Huntington Christian Center
Thursday’s 7pm
595 E Monroe Street
Huntington, OR
FRIDAYS
Been There Done That
(Grapevine Meeting)
5:30 -6:30 pm 2970 Walnut
(Corner of “D” & Grove St.)
Grove Apts. Community Rm
A.A. Book Study
6:00 - 7:00 pm
SATURDAYS
As Bill Sees It Group
10:00 am 2970 Walnut
(Corner of “D” & Grove St.)
Grove Apts. Community Rm
SUNDAYS
Been There Done That
5:30 pm 2970 Walnut
(Corner of “D” & Grove St.)
Grove Apts. Community Rm
Questions call AA Hotline:
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