As Portland grapples with an affordable housing crisis, new federal policy changes may make matters worse.
Hundreds of low-income immigrant families that live in subsidized housing will soon see federal funding shrink due to a recent policy change.
In Portland, undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible to apply for rental assistance through Home Forward, the region’s public housing authority that helps roughly 14,500 households. But for years, Home Forward has allowed so-called “mixed status” families — made up of both U.S. citizens and people without legal status — to live together in subsidized housing. Under that rule, monthly rent is 30% of the household’s entire income plus $1. Home Forward pays for the rest…