"The headlines about our homelessness crisis are unrelenting, and every day in eviction court we see why: The rent is too high and very few Portland renters can keep up, especially when an unbudgeted life event occurs," says PTU co-chair Margot Black. "We know short-term rental assistance is the No. 1 way to prevent evictions, so it's unconscionable to make it so hard for tenants to find and get approved for it, and should be criminal for landlords to then refuse to accept it."