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Home Forward
135 SW Ash Street
Portland,
Multnomah County,
Oregon
97204
Home Forward is a Public Housing Agency that participates in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, and Moving to Work programs.
Home Forward serves Multnomah County.
Waiting List Statuses
| Waiting List | Status |
|---|---|
| Multnomah County, Oregon General Housing Choice Voucher | Closed |
| Multnomah County, Oregon Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher | Closed |
| Project-Based Voucher | Closed |
| Public Housing | Closed |
Other Home Forward Waiting Lists
Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, some waiting list openings may be postponed until further notice. Visit the housing authority's website for the latest on its current operations, if one is available. If there is no information online, contact the housing authority directly. Due to a high volume of calls and modified office hours in most areas, it may take days or weeks to get a response.
Home Forward Website: http://homeforward.org/.
Closed: Multnomah County, Oregon General Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
How To Apply to the Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
The Home Forward (HF) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for five days in September, 2016; and before that in November, 2012. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.
This waiting list has the following preferences: Live, work, hired to work or receiving education or training in Multnomah County, OR.
3,000 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, by order of preferences.
For more information, visit the HF website here.
Last Updated on 04/11/2019.
Closed: Multnomah County, Oregon Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
How To Apply to the Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
The Home Forward (HF) Mainstream (Non-Elderly Disabled) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for five days in March, 2019. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
Please note: According to HF, "You may be eligible for Home Forward’s Mainstream Voucher waiting list preference if:
- You or someone in your household has a documented disability,
and - The person with a documented disability is between the ages of 18 and 61 years,
and - That person is transitioning out of an institutional or other segregated setting."
To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to download and print application online.
Once the paper application was completed, it must have been either:
- Dropped off at the HF office.
- Mailed to the HF office, and postmarked no later than March 22, 2019.
- Emailed.
- Faxed.
There were no preferences.
Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery.
For more information, visit the HF website here.
Last Updated on 05/18/2019.
Closed: Project-Based Voucher Waiting List
How To Apply to the Project-Based Voucher Waiting List
Home Forward (HF) Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for four days in June, 2016. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application on the HF website. Applicants were allowed to apply to as many waiting lists as they would like.
These waiting lists have preferences, and the specific preferences vary by each property.
Applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, by order of preferences.
It is estimated the waiting list length will be five years.
For more information, visit the HF website here.
Last Updated on 03/15/2019.
Closed: Public Housing Waiting List
How To Apply to the Public Housing Waiting List
Home Forward (HF) Public Housing waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for various communities for three days in June, 2016. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application. Applicants may have applied to as many open waiting lists as they liked.
These waiting lists have preferences, and the specific preferences vary by each property.
Applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, after sorting preferences.
It is estimated the waiting list length will be five years.
For more information, visit the HF website here.
Last Updated on 03/15/2019.
About Home Forward
More information about Home Forward can be found on its website at http://homeforward.org/.
Representatives of Home Forward may be available by phone at (503) 802-8300. Unless otherwise noted above, applications will not be provided or accepted by phone.
HCV Portability Status
As of 08/12/2020, it is not known if Home Forward is either absorbing or billing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher portability requests for porting in. Learn more about porting Housing Choice Vouchers to a new area here.
About the Home Forward Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Home Forward manages 9,636 active Housing Choice Vouchers.
The following is a summary of the types of vouchers managed and the monthly costs of each as of December 31st, 2019:
| Family Unification | Tenant Protection | Moving To Work | Ported Out | VASH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vouchers | 133 | 1,063 | 6,397 | 134 | 624 |
| Monthly Cost Per Voucher | $981 | $790 | $798 | $873 | $738 |
| Monthly Cost | $130,431 | $840,041 | $5,102,635 | $116,986 | $460,795 |
Household Characteristics of Voucher Holders for Home Forward
Waiting List and Tenancy
According to the 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households database, the housing authority's voucher program has an annual turnover of 10% having issued approximately 906 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 8 years and 9 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of -1 months on the waiting list1.
Income Characteristics
According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.2 persons and has a household income of $12,184 per year. 97% of households were very low income (VLI) and 82% were extremely low income (ELI). 22% of households had wages as a major source of income, 9% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 61% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.
Heads of Household Characteristics
1% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 44% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 28% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 26% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 1% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.
35% of households included children, 8% of which had two adults in the household. 30% of households with children have a female head of household. 66% of all households were headed by a female.
48% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 33% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.
Of all households participating in the Home Forward Housing Choice Voucher program, 28% include at least one person with a disability. 46% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 71% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.
Bedroom Size and Overhousing
42% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 34% with 2 bedrooms and 24% with 3 or more bedrooms. 16% of voucher recipients are considered overhoused, meaning they occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.
Rent, Assistance, and Utility Allowances
The average monthly tenant contribution to rent by Home Forward voucher holders in 2016 was $412 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $723. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $148.
1. This Picture of Subsidized Households data field is the average wait time of those who received a voucher in the preceding 12 months. Due to special voucher programs like VASH, recent waiting list purges, or waiting list preferences the average wait time can vary significantly from one year to the next and it is entirely possible many current applicants on the waiting list have been waiting for assistance for far longer.
Public Housing Apartments Operated by Home Forward
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