Hillsboro Tenants Worry About Rent Hike

Low income tenants in Hillsboro worry that a rent hike, will force them back into homelessness. 

“I lived in a truck for about a year and a half, running around Beaverton, Hillsboro, being chased from one parking lot to another,” said Michael Ebersole.  He lives at the Alma Gardens apartments,  but he’s gotten notice that his rent’s going up more than $360 a month. 

He has a section 8 housing voucher, and lives off social security income.  Now he worries this rent hike will put him back on the streets.  “There’s no way my budget can hold that,” said Ebersole. “I’m broke a week before pay day as it is.”

Another tenant, Scott Duke got a similar notice.  “Means I’ll be probably living up in the mountains by the river somewhere in a tent,” Duke said.

The state’s rental cap only allows rents to increase 9.9%, but these tenants are facing more than 33% increases.  There are some limits on the cap for low income housing.  News partner KGW reports, the tenants say they’re trying to get answers and haven’t heard back yet.

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