New Utah Rental Assistance Program Will Start Accepting Applications Soon
By Ginny Reese
March 2, 2021
A spokesperson for the Utah Department of Workforce Services said that Utah residents will not be able to apply for pandemic rental assistance until March 15th while the new application is being worked on, reported Fox 13 Now.
Over the course of 2020, there was around $26 million in rental assistance given across Utah. Now, over $200 million in rental assistance will be given throughout the rest of 2021.
The Department of Workforce Services Deputy Director Nate McDonald stated, "Emergency Rental Assistance is an important program that can help Utah renters impacted by the pandemic to stay in their homes."
According to the Utah Apartment Association executive director Paul Smith, the rental assistance program is in place to help families stay in their homes while also helping landlords to pay their mortgages.
He said, "Landlords have worked with renters with payment plans, they have been patient while they waited for rental assistance or unemployment benefits to kick in."
McDonald said that there have been about 15,000 applications for rental assistance.
According to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, you may be eligible for rental assistance if you have:
- A combined household income at or below 80% of area median income
- Qualified for unemployment
- A loss of income or taken on major costs due to COVID-19
- Experienced housing instability
If you need food or rental assistance, call 2-1-1- or click here.
Photo: Getty Images