Dozens of Families Suddenly Left Waiting
PORTLAND, Ore. — For a dozen Portland families, what was supposed to be a new beginning has abruptly turned into disappointment. Home Forward, the public housing authority for Multnomah County, has paused the issuance of new Housing Choice Vouchers, leaving families who were promised assistance this fall without the help they were counting on.
The vouchers, funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are designed to cover a portion of a family’s rent. But Home Forward says the program has now entered “shortfall” status due to insufficient federal funding.
Rising Housing Costs and Stalled Federal Support
Home Forward Chief Operating Officer Ian Davie explained that the pause stems from Congress’s failure to increase funding for the program this year, even as housing costs in Portland continue to rise sharply.
“In the Portland region, we’ve seen the costs of housing and utilities increase dramatically for families and have seen similar increases in Home Forward’s rent subsidy costs,” Davie said. “On top of this, families need assistance for longer periods of time to achieve stability, so we have fewer vouchers becoming available to new households.”
With fewer vouchers turning over and funding unable to keep pace with need, the authority said it had no choice but to halt new issuances.
A Promise Reversed
For some families, the news arrived at the worst possible moment. One woman, Mackenzie, said she had been preparing for her orientation session—just one day away—when she received a letter on August 20 from program director Jimmy Rattanasouk.
“Unfortunately, your upcoming Housing Choice Voucher orientation appointment has been cancelled,” the letter read. “We were recently directed by HUD to immediately pause issuing vouchers (except in specific scenarios) for families on the Housing Choice Voucher Program.”
For Mackenzie, the reversal was devastating. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is the first time I’m going to have my own place, my own space to claim as my own.’ And then, just a couple hours later, I got this letter,” she told KATU.
Struggling Without Options
Mackenzie, a single mother living in transitional housing, said she was not offered alternative resources beyond being told to call 211, the regional referral hotline. With just one year left in her transitional housing placement, she had hoped the voucher would provide stability for her and her child—and serve as a steppingstone for her to start nursing school.
“Especially being a single mom, I don’t really have help,” she said. “The only help I have is my own mother, and she works 60 hours a week just trying to keep herself from becoming homeless. This voucher was our ticket to avoid homelessness.”
Home Forward’s Response
Davie acknowledged the hardship caused by the sudden pause. “Unfortunately, Home Forward had already notified around a dozen families that they would soon be issued a voucher, so we immediately made them aware of this new restriction,” he said. “These families do not currently receive housing assistance from Home Forward, but we understand this is difficult news.”
Home Forward emphasized that the pause will not affect the more than 18,000 households already assisted by the agency. Families who currently hold vouchers or live in Home Forward properties will continue receiving support.
For those left in limbo, Davie said they will remain at the top of Home Forward’s waitlists, pending resolution of the funding shortfall.
Looking Ahead
HUD has acknowledged that Home Forward’s current funding is not enough to cover rising costs and says it is working to address the issue. Whether that will translate into restored vouchers for families like Mackenzie’s—and when—remains uncertain.
Until then, families who believed they were on the verge of stability are once again left searching for answers in a housing market that continues to grow more unaffordable.
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