Get approved for a place and get help paying rent

There are five programs here, and they do different jobs. Some get you approved for a place, some help you pay rent, and one builds your credit so you qualify more easily next time. A few you can start on your own. A couple only work when a case manager starts them with you.

If you can, get a WERQ navigator in your corner first. We can set up your Housing Connector account, start a OneApp Greenlight request, and help you gather the paperwork HRSN needs.

• Start your intake: book a time with a WERQ navigator at werq.janeapp.com and we will take it from there.

None of these is instant. The honest version of each is below, so you know what you are signing up for.

Rent Well is a 15-hour tenant education course on your rights, how landlords screen, budgeting, and avoiding eviction. You can start it yourself.

Here is why it matters: when you finish in Oregon, it comes with a Landlord Guarantee of up to $5,000. That guarantee is what turns a maybe into a yes, because it lowers the landlord's risk.

• Pick a format and start: the self-paced eCourse, or in-person and Zoom classes through Transition Projects.
• Hold onto your certificate. That is the piece a landlord wants to see.

Questions: rentwell@tprojects.org or 503-515-1328.

Housing Connector is a nonprofit that connects case managers to open units and clears the financial and screening barriers that usually get you denied. They cover risk for the property, so doors open that otherwise would not.

You can start this two ways: create your own account and pick Eli as your case manager during signup, or have your WERQ navigator invite you into the renter hub. Either way, loop us in so the case-manager link is set.

• See how it works: housingconnector.com/how-we-work.
• Browse available units: housingconnector.com/lookup.

Rent support through Housing Connector kicks in after 90 days, so it is not immediate move-in cash. About 88 out of 100 of their residents stay in the same unit housed for at least a year.

OneApp helps a nervous landlord say yes by lowering their approval risk. There are two doors, and the cost is not the same:

• Greenlight is free, and a case manager starts it for you. There is no renter portal, so your WERQ navigator initiates it, and we will need to know which property you are applying to. This is the one to use if you are working with us.
• Approval Assist you can start yourself, but it costs one month's rent. It is a second-chance approval service for renters: oneapp.rentals/approval-assist.

If you have a navigator, use Greenlight. It does the same job without the fee. Either way, OneApp improves your odds but does not guarantee a yes, because the property still makes the call.

If you have the Oregon Health Plan, you may be able to get up to 6 months of rent, including past-due rent, plus utilities and move-in costs, through a benefit called HRSN. It is tied to a qualifying health condition.

If you are a Health Share of Oregon member (the OHP plan for the Portland tri-county area), apply through Unite Us. Other CCOs have their own forms.

• Gather your documents first: your OHP ID, your lease, and two months of income proof. The paperwork is heavy, and missing pieces slow it down.
• Questions: 1-888-834-4304 or ORHRSN@acentra.com.

Be realistic about the clock. Waits run up to 6 months, and it is a one-time benefit. It is not the move to make when rent is due this week. For that, see the next step.

HRSN is slow, so if you are about to lose your housing, start somewhere faster today.

• Facing an eviction or behind on rent: work the facing eviction or struggling to pay rent journey. It covers emergency rent assistance and your rights.
• Need cash this week: see you need cash this week.
• Got a court notice: Oregon Law Center runs the Eviction Defense Project, and the help is free.
• Not sure where to start: call 211, any time, for local rent and utility assistance.

Applying for HRSN and getting emergency help are not either or. Do both.

Esusu reports your on-time rent to the three credit bureaus, which builds credit that helps you qualify next time. It only reports on-time payments, never late ones.

Whether rent reporting is automatic depends on your building. Many affordable and supportive housing developments are already enrolled, and you can download the Esusu app to manage your credit and set up split pay.

• Check Rent Relief: if your building is enrolled, Esusu runs a rent relief fund for residents who owe under $5,000 and are not more than 3 months behind. Details at esusurent.com/rent-relief.

Reporting on-time rent can lift a thin credit file. Esusu's reported average is about a 53-point increase.