The General Housing Account Program (GHAP) was created to expand Oregon's housing supply for families and individuals on low and very low incomes. It serves two areas:
- Rental housing development
- Rental housing development to serve veterans
GHAP can be used statewide, including on Tribal lands, and is one of the most flexible housing development funding sources OHCS administers.
Funding requirements
GHAP originated from the 2009 Legislative Session. Funds for the program are generated from state document recording fees (DRF).
25% of the allocated rental housing development funds are set-aside for Veteran's housing development. The GHAP Veteran set-aside funds can be used with other sources of funding that align with its affordability restrictions.
GHAP development funds may be taken as a grant or low-interest loan with flexible terms, as requested by the awardee and approved by OHCS. If the funds are requested as a loan, the interest rate begins at 0% and may be as high as the U.S. Treasury Long-Term Obligation rate. Repayment is due as a balloon payment between year 30 and year 60. OHCS reserves the right to approve loan terms at their sole discretion.
Please note that GHAP for Capacity Building (GHAP CB) is administrated separately from GHAP development. Please visit the Capacity Building webpage for additional information.
Affordability requirements
GHAP-funded projects must serve residents earning at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI). The project will be restricted to serve at this affordability level for 60 years. Annual compliance and reporting will be required to ensure affordability requirements are met. Please note that affordability level maximums may be limited by goals in the Oregon Centralized Application (ORCA). Please see the ORCA Manual for current details.
Eligibility
- Nonprofits
- Housing authorities
- Local governments
- Manufactured home park cooperatives
- Private companies
- Federally recognized Tribal Nations
- Individual developers
How to apply
Potential applicants can apply for GHAP through the Oregon Centralized Application (ORCA) process. This is an open application and will remain open while funding is available. If funding is unavailable, the project will be added to the ORCA waitlist upon passing the Impact Assessment step. Funding is refreshed on a biennial basis based off funding received from the DRF.
The maximum funding award is limited to per-unit subsidy limits determined by OHCS. The per-unit amount is a sliding scale based on the income level of residents to be served by the unit. Subsidy limits are different for new construction projects versus acquisition/rehabilitation projects. For additional details, please refer to the ORCA Manual.
More information
GHAP program manual: Effective as of October 2025
GHAP Capacity Building webpage