Business Oregon Commercial Rent Relief Grants

March 10, 2021

The Oregon Legislative Emergency Board allocated $100 million to Business Oregon for a new program to provide financial assistance to small businesses and commercial landlords impacted by the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The program provides grants to building owners to cover outstanding lease payments from small business tenants that are behind on rent due to COVID-19. The grants can go up to $100,000 per each business tenant lease, but not more than $3 million for each landlord. The landlord must agree not to evict the tenant for six months and waive any rights to collect outstanding penalties or interest, or enforce eviction clauses related to the delinquent lease payments between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021.

Applications are now available. Both the business tenant and property owner will need to participate in the application process and sign the grant agreement, but the initial application needs to be completed by the landlord. 

More program information and eligibility details are available on Business Oregon’s website. Applications are available in multiple languages.

LGBTQ+ & BIPOC Older Adult COVID Vaccine Event
Multnomah County, in partnership with Prism Health, is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Tuesday, March 16 at the East Portland Community Center. This event is focused on serving, LGTBQ+, Black, Immigrants, Refugees, Indigenous, and other people of color over 65 years old. 

Appointments are required for this event. Intended participants for this vaccination event can schedule a time here. If you need assistance signing up for an appointment or interpretation services, please call 503-988-8939. 

Updates to County Risk Levels to Take Effect March 12
County risk levels under the state's public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19 have been updated. The framework uses four different risk levels for counties based on COVID-19 spread — Extreme, High, Moderate and Lower — and assigns health and safety measures for each level.

Beginning this week, counties may be given a caution period if they reduced their COVID-19 spread enough to move down in risk level in the previous two-week period but their numbers went back up in the most recent two-week period. The caution period will allow counties to refocus efforts on driving  down creeping case numbers and give local businesses additional certainty on their plans for operating. If, at the end of the caution period, case rate data still puts the county at a higher risk level, the county will move to that level.

Effective March 12 through March 25, there will be two counties in the Extreme Risk level, nine at High Risk, 12 at Moderate Risk, and 13 at Lower Risk. Two counties have been given a two-week caution. A complete list of counties and their associated risk levels is available here. Read the full news release here. 

What to Consider as Spring Break Approaches 
Spring break is nearly here. Many of us, including students, would normally be heading to the coast or out of state. But, like last year, we are still in the pandemic – and travel, especially by plane, bus, or train, increases our chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Case numbers in Oregon are dropping, and vaccination rates are growing. The things we are doing right now to keep ourselves, our friends, our families and communities safe are working to reduce transmission. But we should not let down our guard.  

Though many of us may be getting the travel bug, across the country and around the world COVID-19 is still spreading. By avoiding travel and staying home, we can protect ourselves and others from COVID-19.
Check out Oregon Health Authority's travel guidance as you make plans, and remember that: 

• If you leave the state, we recommend quarantining for 14 days when you return.  
• Your airline may require health information, testing, or other documents.  
• Local policies at your destination may require you to be tested for COVID-19.   
• If you test positive on arrival, you may be required to isolate for a period of time.  
• If you leave the U.S., including for Mexico, you’ll need to have a negative COVID-19 test, or documented recovery from COVID-19, before boarding a flight home. (The CDC offers more details on international travel requirements.)