PORTLAND, Ore — The first round of applications for the city of Portland's new COVID-19 assistance program closed Tuesday morning. The program is meant to help residents struggling with the health and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting Friday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m., Portlanders will be able to apply for $500 in housing assistance.
The city partnered with United Way of the Columbia-Willamette to distribute the payments. They will come in the form of 2,800 prepaid debit cards. Residents applied for the first 1,400 on Tuesday morning.
Portlanders can apply for the remaining 1,400 on Friday. All applications must be submitted online at pdxassist.com.
The cards will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, applicants must be at least 18 years old and living in Portland, have experienced a loss of income or elevated health risk related to COVID-19 and have a household income at or below 80% of Area Median Income (see chart below).
Prepaid cards will also be provided to homeless families and individuals living in shelters and on the streets, the city announced. Those cards will be made available through sheltering organizations and outreach teams that contract with the Joint Office of Homeless Services.
The program is part of a $36 million investment in housing relief measures by the city and the Portland Housing Bureau in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.