A new bill guarantees $1,000 a month for homeless individuals.
The state of Oregon has been in the midst of a major homelessness epidemic for the past several years. In Portland alone, there are an estimated 700 homeless tent camps set up around the city, and there are estimated to be around 14,650 homeless individuals across the entire state. In an effort to aid these individuals, Oregon legislators have proposed a new system to help them to their feet.
A newly-proposed bill from Oregon lawmakers has floated the idea of a People’s Housing Assistance Fund Demonstration Program, which would provide $1,000 in cash to any homeless individual who needs it. In addition to homeless individuals, the money would also be available to those on the brink of homelessness, specifically those who spend more than half of their monthly income on rent and those who earn less than 60% of the local median income.
“Payments may be used for rent, emergency expenses, food, child care or other goods or services of the participant’s choosing,” the bill reads.
If passed, the program would run until January of 2026. While the program runs, the Portland State University Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative would run a study on the effects, positive and negative, that the cash payments have on the homeless population. Once the program ends, the study would be used to determine its overall efficacy and whether it should be renewed.
