Emergency rental assistance in Multnomah County, Oregon.
Tenants:
Households are eligible for if one or more individuals: (1) has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due, directly or indirectly, to the pandemic; (2) can demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and (3) has a household income below 80% AMI.
Landlords:
Once a renter qualifies for assistance, Grouptrail sends the payment directly to the landlord. Property owners can also assist renters to apply for rental assistance under the program or apply on behalf of the tenant, but will be required to notify the renter that assistance is being provided on their behalf and obtain their consent in the application.
Rental assistance available for tenants in Marion County:
$10 million.
Speed to receive payments for landlords on Grouptrail:
5x faster.
Community based organizations partnering to help:
8 providers.
What kind of assistance do renters receive?
Eligible renters receive assistance with rent and utility payments, unpaid rent or utility bills that have accumulated since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and other housing expenses that were incurred due, directly or indirectly, to the pandemic. Eligible renters would also have access to services, such as case management and tenant-landlord mediation, to help them remain stably housed. A household may receive up to 12 months of assistance but may receive an additional three months of assistance only if it is necessary to ensure the household remain stably housed and funds are available.
How is Grouptrail helping Marion County and its partner organizations?
No more mailing physical checks, retyping data into multiple spreadsheets, and juggling multiple payout providers. Grouptrail is a single solution that automates hundreds of hours of operational overhead and reduces opportunities for human error, helping everyone focus on serving the community while displaying a real time impact data dashboard. Tenant intakes, initial landlord outreach/engagement, landlord documentation, processing rent assistance payments, fiscal compliance and tracking and data entry, and reporting are managed all in one place.
