Distressed homeowners and Oregonians who have gone through the foreclosure process may be entitled to additional assistance if their mortgage servicer is a party to the multistate settlement.

The Oregon Homeownership Stabilization Initiative (OHSI) is now accepting Mortgage Payment Assistance Unemployment Program (MPA-U) applications in some counties. Visit the MPA-U page for more information about program timelines and eligibility.

Oregon continues serving record numbers of people through its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP benefits, formerly called food stamps, help bridge the gap for people who earn too little to meet their basic nutrition needs.

In May, 772,675 Oregonians received SNAP benefits, an increase of nine percent from one year ago. Oregon has shown steady growth in SNAP since July 2008 and is expected to peak in 2012.

Oregon Housing and Community Services has added the social media site Twitter to its communication and outreach program. Our goal is to reach all those interested in affordable housing development, homeownership, homelessness prevention and intervention.

Messages on Twitter will include the director's message, notices of upcoming meetings, news releases and technical updates.