Home Forward > FAQ: About Home Forward

FAQ: About Home Forward

Are you part of the City of Portland?

We are not part of the city’s government structure.  However, we do serve the City of Portland, as well as Multnomah County, the City of Gresham, and other communities in east Multnomah County.  Portland, Multnomah County and Gresham each appoint commissioners to our board, and we work very closely with our jurisdictional partners on housing policy and programs.

How can I get help from Home Forward?

We welcome you to visit the Find a Home section of our website to learn more about our apartment communities and our different rent assistance programs.

What kind of organization is Home Forward?

Home Forward is a public corporation. We are a government agency that operates independently with its own board of commissioners, like the Port of Portland.

Who is Home Forward responsible to?

We are led by a nine-member volunteer citizen commission.  Members are appointed by the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the City of Gresham. Because we were incorporated by the City of Portland, the Portland City Council approves all appointments to our board.  Ultimately, however, we believe we are responsible to the citizens and taxpayers of our community to fulfill our mission.

With your name change to Home Forward, are you still a housing authority?

We still are considered a housing authority under the Oregon law that governs us and by our largest funding source, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  We have the same federally-funded programs as other housing authorities: public housing and Section 8. However, we have moved far beyond what a traditional housing authority does, which is one of the reasons we changed our name.