Portland Housing Bureau has contracted with Oregon Law Center and Portland Community College to provide free legal service to low-income renters facing eviction, regardless of immigration status, through the Eviction Defense Project.
Renters who receive a termination notice or a summons for an eviction court case must contact the Eviction Defense Project before the first appearance date in order to receive help.
To determine if there is a case the Project can represent a renter in, call the Project at 888.585.9638 or fill out the contact form at oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project. Renters need to provide their name, case number and court summons date.
From there, a lawyer or paralegal will follow up to get more details on the case. That will help the Project know if the eviction is illegal or if there is a case against the landlord.
Renters will be made aware of their options and if there is a case, the Project may be able to defend them in court.
If the cause for eviction is nonpayment, there are special protections that apply. Renters can’t be evicted for nonpayment while their rent assistance application is pending if they have provided their landlord with proof that they have applied for assistance on or before their first eviction court date or June 30, 2022, whichever is sooner.
There are hundreds of millions of federal rent assistance dollars available to help Oregonians and those who are having difficulty paying their rent should apply for assistance. Visit oregonrentalassistance.org or 211.org to apply.
The Eviction Defense Project reminds renters that no matter what, it is important to show up in court and call them before signing anything.
Failure to show up in court may result in an automatic ruling against the renter, even if they have applied for assistance.
Eviction paperwork provides instructions on showing up and some courts are allowing renters to call in to their hearing instead of showing up in person.
The Project encourages renters to call them before signing any settlement agreements with a landlord.
More about the Eviction Defense Project at oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project.