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The City of Portland, Oregon

Nick Fish (In Memoriam)

City of Portland Commissioner

phone: 503-823-3589

Email: nick@portlandoregon.gov

1221 S.W. 4th, Room 240, Portland, OR 97204

Helping Cost-Burdened Renters Pay Their Utilities

May 23, 2018@CommishFish

During Portland’s housing crisis, some of our neighbors need extra help paying their utility bill.

Since 1995, Portland has offered lower-income customers discounts on their utility bills. We were one of the first big cities in the nation to do so.

But customers needed a water meter to qualify. Because many apartment buildings have a shared meter, cost-burdened renters were left out.

Today, we took a step to change that.

In the City’s recently-adopted budget, we approved a handful of new tools to expand eligibility for struggling families. And today, Council heard a proposal for a first-of-its-kind partnership with Home Forward, our public housing partner.

Here’s how it works: the utility bureaus will contribute up to $500 annually for a low-income household that pays their utilities through their rent. Home Forward will incorporate utility assistance into their short-term rental assistance program, an existing, proven program they manage for low-income renters.

Portland would be one of the first big cities in the nation to offer utility financial assistance to customers without a water meter. Council will vote on the proposal next Wednesday.

We’re proud to take this important step, and grateful to all the partners who made it happen. Special thanks to Gabe Solmer, Kathy Koch, Liam Frost, and all the Water Bureau customer service staff, and our partners at Home Forward, the Portland Utility Board, and the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board.

Background

Helping Our Neighbors Pay Their Utility Bills

Nick Fish Blog

 

Utility Financial Assistance Ordinance

Media

Portland Utility Bureaus Will Help Renters At Risk of Eviction

Amelia Templeton in OPB News

 

Hall Monitor: Treading Water

Alex Zielinski in the Portland Mercury