Rental, utility assistance now available for Utah County residents
Private homes stand Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, in Springville. Utah County officials announced on Monday that they've partnered with the Utah Department of Workforce Services to help administer Utah County’s portion of the state's Emergency Rental Assistance funds.
Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Private homes stand Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, in Springville. Utah County officials announced on Monday that they've partnered with the Utah Department of Workforce Services to help administer Utah County’s portion of the state's Emergency Rental Assistance funds. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Private homes stand Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, in Springville. Utah County officials announced on Monday that they've partnered with the Utah Department of Workforce Services to help administer Utah County’s portion of the state's Emergency Rental Assistance funds. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Private homes stand Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Private homes stand Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Utah County residents who have struggled financially during the COVID-19 pandemic can now enroll online in a statewide rental assistance program that launched on Monday.
The Emergency Rental Assistance program uses federal coronavirus relief funding to “help renters who are unable to pay their rent and utilities due to circumstances related to COVID-19,” according to a description of the program.
The program can pay up to $2,000 per month of expenses, including current rent plus three months of prospective rent, past-due rent, eligibility fees, security deposits, or utilities, internet and home energy costs. Expenses from March 13, 2020, to Dec. 13, 2021 can be covered by the program.
In a press release, Utah County officials announced on Monday that the county had partnered with the Utah Department of Workforce Services “to help administer Utah County’s portion of the Emergency Rental Assistance funds.”
“These are federal funds that will be distributed through the state, and we want to make sure Utah County residents are made aware if they are in need,” Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee said in the press release.
Households eligible for the rental assistance program include those with a combined household income at or below 80% the area median income and households where someone “has qualified for unemployment, or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19,” as well as households “experiencing housing instability,” such as getting an eviction notice or living in unhealthy conditions.
“Our goal is to help people impacted by the pandemic stay in their housing and maintain the stability of their families during these hard times,” the rental assistance website reads.
To speed up the application process, applicants can submit documentation such as income certification, including W-2 or 1099 forms, unemployment insurance weekly payment history, a past-due utility bill or eviction notice, or a copy of the landlord’s W-9 or contact information.
Utah County received about $19.2 million in federal funding for rental assistance, Michelle Carroll, deputy executive director of the Mountainland Association of Governments, said during a Utah County Commission meeting in February. The county is obligated by the U.S. Department of Treasury to spend 65% of that funding, about $12.5 million, by Sept. 30.
In the Feb. 8 meeting, Utah County officials discussed potentially splitting from the statewide program and launching a Utah County Emergency Rental Assistance program over concerns that the county would be unable to spend the funds by the end of September, and would therefore have to return them to the treasury department.
Renters and landlords can apply for emergency rental assistance by visiting http://jobs.utah.gov/housing/rent-relief. Anyone aware of “fraud, waste or abuse” related to the program can report it at dws_fraud@utah.gov or 801-526-9666.
