County Program Helps Low-Income Tenants at Allen Fremont Avoid Eviction

Bienestar de la Familia, a Multnomah County program, has written $50,000 in rent assistance checks to resolve eviction notices for at least nine elderly, low-income tenants at the Allen Fremont Plaza Apartments in Northeast Portland who were facing eviction over allegedly unpaid rent.

The money, which is covering outstanding past balances and three months of future rent payments, has so far helped nine tenants resolve looming evictions. That’s according to Nabil Zaghloul, director of Bienestar. He and his team have been working with Allen Fremont tenants for the past 10 days.

WW reported earlier this month that at least 15 tenants, all of whom are elderly and low income, were facing eviction (“Out of Balance,” June 5, 2024). The eviction notices followed the expiration of Oregon’s pandemic-era rent-forgiveness rules, the end of which allowed landlords to collect back rent before accepting new rent payments. Allen Fremont Plaza residents alleged that Reach Community Development Corporation, which owns and manages the building, lost checks, made accounting errors, double-billed them, and waited years to notify them of outstanding balances. Reach CDC denied those claims.

Reach told WW that representatives from Bienestar de la Familia came to Allen Fremont twice in the last 10 days to meet with residents who needed rent assistance.

Zaghloul tells WW that more assistance is coming for Allen Fremont residents. “The goal is to prevent anyone from being evicted,” he says.

Cathy Mayes, a resident whose eviction notice was resolved by Bienestar, says she’s grateful for the assistance. “That’s one thing off my plate,” she says.

Reach said in a statement it “will continue to pursue necessary resources that keep people housed. The organization looks forward to joining hands with government partners, local leaders, and residents in these efforts as we continue to mitigate ongoing challenges.”