Since the onset of the COVID crisis, I have advocated for emergency protections & relief for renters, landlords, & homeowners at local, state, & federal levels. We must work together to prevent a tidal wave of evictions & foreclosures in the coming months; we can't do this alone.

Today, City Council unanimously passed an emergency adjustment to the Relocation Ordinance, or #Relo. Relo was the 1st ordinance I advanced in my 1st month in office. It had overwhelming support from housing advocates & community members & has helped stabilize Portland renters.

Council's actions today mean that Relo—which previously only applied to rent increases of 10% or more—will apply to a rent increase of ANY amount from now through 3/31/21. We will revisit this issue in Dec. to determine whether this protection needs to be extended beyond 3/2021.

This is an important step to ensure greater housing stability during this crisis, but it is a stop-gap measure. We need rent & mtg. forgiveness with relief for landlords & lenders from the federal government to ensure that no one loses their housing or properties due to COVID.

But we know that any rent increase during COVID can displace renters who are already on the brink. We also know that it is critical to public health, safety, and resiliency that Portlanders remain housed.

Portland renters need to know that their City will protect them, no matter how long this emergency lasts. So this action was critical. I will continue to push for further protections and relief for renters, landlords, and homeowners.

Thank you to @tedwheeler for introducing this item, to @JoAnnPDX for her support in negotiating the amendments, & all of my colleagues for supporting this item. You can read the full ordinance* here:
https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/relocation-assistance-extension-september-2020.pdf
*This page will be updated with amendment language.