The Oregon Centralized Application (ORCA) development funding makes up the total funding available through the ORCA process. Of this funding, OHCS has reserved or “set-aside” funding for specific organizations and geographic regions to relieve the housing burden of historically underserved populations and ensure investment in communities across Oregon.
Geographic set-aside funding aligns with the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis and housing cost burden of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities across the state.
25% of total funding available is set-aside for the following organizations for 2024-25:
- Culturally specific organizations (CSO)
- Nonprofit development in rural communities
75% of total funding available will distributed geographically for 2024. Geographic set-asides are:
- Eastern (Deschutes, Northeast, Southeast): 15%
- Metro (Portland metro area): 40%
- Western (North Coast, Southwest, Willamette Valley): 45% (This region is fully subscribed, see below for details)
Geographic set-aside investments to date
The total gap resources (Article XI-Q bonds, Document Recording Fee (DRF), Public Purpose Charge (PPC), and agricultural workforce capital funding) within each regional set-aside at the opening of the ORCA were based on total allocations from the Legislature as well as returned or rescinded resources, and exclusive of resources earmarked for homeownership development, last gap support, preservation activities, and pairing with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in 2025.
Additionally, OHCS retained 10% flexibility for the resources within each region in order to allow for potential project adjustments, full funding of projects, or other required unanticipated needs. Thus, the available resources by set-asides eligible to be conditionally committed to projects at the opening of the ORCA, already committed and anticipated to be committed through October 2024 are as follows:
Geographic Region |
Eastern |
Western |
Metro |
CSO/Nonprofit set-aside |
Tribal Nations |
Total funds set-aside (+/- 10%) |
$62,380,712 |
$187,142,135 |
$166,348,565 |
$83,000,000 |
$30,000,000 |
Number of HSC approved projects |
2 |
10 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Number of HSC approved units |
118 |
521 |
95 |
48 |
0 |
Amount HSC has approved |
$40,920,000 |
$195,139,445 |
$28,480,000 |
$6,825,000 |
$0 |
Remaining |
$21,460,712 |
$(7,997,310) |
$137,868,565 |
$76,175,000 |
$30,000,000 |
Learn more about the current ORCA pipeline with project details.
Western Region Fully Subscribed
Based on current investments and the ORCA pipeline database, OHCS has received, reviewed, and advanced enough applications to fully allocate the resources designated for the Western Region. This is contingent on the Housing Stability Council approving the project recommendations in October 2024.
After the October 2024 HSC meeting, any application from the Western Region currently in Impact Assessment, complete and/or reviewed, will be placed on a waitlist. OHCS will apply the same approach of a waitlist for the other regions as they become fully subscribed. As more resources become available, OHCS will continue to allocate funds based on established regional investment percentages, including for culturally specific organizations and nonprofit development in rural communities.. As resources are added, additional projects from the waitlist will be selected for funding reservation using the structure of the waitlist policy. Learn more about the ORCA waitlist policy.
Partners will receive updates via Technical Advisory email regarding the status of ORCA resources. This includes notifications about when set-asides are fully subscribed or when additional resources are added to the funding pool.