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Multnomah County briefs board on emergency rent assistance: funding gaps, eviction trends and the new Medicaid 1115 benefit
Summary
County staff told commissioners that FY25 emergency rent assistance relies heavily on one‑time funds, that eviction court filings and unmet need remain high, and that the newly launched Medicaid 1115 waiver could add a complementary rent‑related benefit; staff outlined staffing ratios, fraud‑prevention steps and retention outcomes.
Multnomah County Department of County Human Services told the Board of Commissioners that emergency rent assistance remains a critical homelessness‑prevention tool but that FY25 funding is heavily weighted toward one‑time sources, leaving uncertainty about program continuity.
DCHS Deputy Director Rachel Pearl said the county launched emergency rent assistance in 2020 in response to the pandemic and has since worked to “right size the staffing model” and improve outcomes. She noted evidence that prevention is cost‑effective, citing national research presented in the briefing: “for every dollar invested in rental assistance for families with children, saves $7 in other public spending,” a finding staff attributed to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Pearl and YFS program staff summarized the FY25 funding mix and capacity, saying the county’s eviction‑prevention budget for FY25 is roughly $23.8 million made up of multiple federal, state and local sources (the briefing lists OREDP funding…
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