Affordable Housing In Multnomah County
Oregon
337 Low Income Apartment Communities In Multnomah County
Woodland Heights Retirement Community
Firgrove Apartments
Martin Luther King Manor
There are 337 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 22,623 affordable apartments for rent in Multnomah County. Many of these rental apartments are income based housing with 7,727 apartments that set rent based on your income. In Multnomah County, HUD housing programs support 2,557 rental assistance apartments through programs like Project-based Section 8. There are 14,768 other low income apartments that don't have rental assistance but are cheaper than market rate rents.
Housing Authorities that serve Multnomah County
| Housing Authority | Programs |
|---|---|
| Home Forward | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Moving to Work |
Guide To Affordable Housing in Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County, OR Affordable Housing Snapshot
| Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 337 |
|---|---|
| Total Low Income Apartments | 22,623 |
| Total Rent Assisted Apartments | 7,727 |
| Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 46.21% |
| Average Renter Household Size | 2.25 |
| Total Population | 768,418 |
| Housing Units | 310,669 |
| Average Household Size | 2.41 |
| Median Household Income | $54,102 ±$784 |
| Median Rent | $964 ±$7 |
| Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 51.52% ± 1.1pp |
Population and Household Demographics
Multnomah County is a County in Oregon with a population of 768,418. There are 310,669 households in the county with an average household size of 2.41 persons. 46.21% of households in Multnomah County are renters.
Income and Rent Overburden in Multnomah County
The median gross income for households in Multnomah County is $54,102 a year, or $4,509 a month. The median rent for the county is $964 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Multnomah County, a household making less than $3,213 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 51.52% of households who rent are overburdened in Multnomah County.1
Area Median Income In Multnomah County
Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.
In Multnomah County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $87,900
Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.
Rental Assistance in Multnomah County
Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.
Income Qualifications for Multnomah County HUD Rental Assistance in Multnomah County
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of Median | $18,450 | $21,100 | $23,750 | $26,350 | $30,170 | $34,590 | $39,010 | $43,430 |
| 50% of Median | $30,800 | $35,200 | $39,600 | $43,950 | $47,500 | $51,000 | $54,500 | $58,050 |
| 80% of Median | $49,250 | $56,250 | $63,300 | $70,300 | $75,950 | $81,550 | $87,200 | $92,800 |
Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Multnomah County
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program aims to create affordable rental housing for low and very low income families.
From 1987 to 2012, 219 low income apartment communities containing 14,941 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Multnomah County by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
If your income is less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), you should not expect to pay more than the rent value for a unit in the table below. However, Affordable apartment communities that receive funding through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program may have rental units that are not subject to income and rent limits.
Rent limits for the LIHTC Program are determined so that a household making the maximum income for the expected household size of the unit would only pay 30% of their income for rent.
Income Qualifications for Low Income Housing Tax Credit Apartments in Multnomah County
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% of Median | $30,800 | $35,200 | $39,600 | $43,950 | $47,500 | $51,000 | $54,500 | $58,050 |
| 60% of Median | $36,960 | $42,240 | $47,520 | $52,740 | $57,000 | $61,200 | $65,400 | $69,660 |
For example, the expected household size for a two bedroom apartment is 3 people. Using the table above, the maximum income for a 3 person household at 60% of the AMI in Multnomah County is $47,520 a year, or $3,960 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $3,960 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $1,188 a month.
Rent for units in the LIHTC Program include a utility allowance which is determined by the average monthly cost of utilities paid directly by residents. This allowance has not been subtracted from the rents in the table below. These utility allowances are set on a property by property basis.
| % of AMI | Studio | 1 Bed | 2 Bed | 3 Bed | 4 Bed | 5 Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $770 | $825 | $990 | $1,143 | $1,275 | $1,407 |
| 60% | $924 | $990 | $1,188 | $1,372 | $1,530 | $1,688 |
Fair Market Rents in Multnomah County
Fair Market Rents, often abbreviated as FMR, can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Notably, Fair Market Rents are used to establish the payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, maximum rents in HOME financed rental projects and initial rents for Section 8 project based assistance.
2019 Fair Market Rents
| Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,131 | $1,234 | $1,441 | $2,084 | $2,531 |
Cities In Multnomah County
Select A City to View its Apartment Communities and Waiting Lists.
| City | Listings | Served By |
|---|---|---|
| Gresham | 22 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Gresham is the Home Forward. |
| Troutdale | 3 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Troutdale is the Home Forward. |
| Fairview | 3 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Fairview is the Home Forward. |
| Portland | 309 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Portland are the Housing Authority of Clackamas County and Home Forward. |
| Cedar Mill | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Cedar Mill is the Home Forward. |
| Maywood Park | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Maywood Park is the Home Forward. |
| West Haven Sylvan | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves West Haven Sylvan is the Home Forward. |
| Wood Village | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Wood Village is the Home Forward. |
| West Haven-Sylvan | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves West Haven-Sylvan is the Home Forward. |
