Utah is doing better than other states in distributing rental assistance, but there’s still a significant amount of money that hasn’t been doled out.
Christina Oliver, director of community development and housing at the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said about $44 million has been spent statewide since the money became available March 15, along with some administrative costs.
The state received $215 million to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. About $160 million remains, Oliver said.
“I don’t know that we had any expectation of how much would be doled out in the first few months,” Oliver said. “We would have anticipated higher numbers.”
National reports peg the distribution of rental assistance at just around seven percent.
Asked why more money hasn't been distributed in Utah, Oliver called it “application based.”
“We do have a lot of folks who visit the website,” said Oliver. “For whatever the reason is, they don’t necessarily finish the application.”
Rental assistance covers current or past-due rent, utilities, and other costs. It’s paid directly to landlords. Both landlords and tenants can apply for it.
“I think it’s kept people with roofs over their heads, and we want to encourage people to continue to apply,” said Oliver. “This money is sitting here in order to ensure housing stability.”
But does everyone know about it who should? Doug Hendricks, a landlord in Murray, said he’d heard a few things about it, but didn’t know much.
Hendricks said he lost thousands of dollars last year when a tenant lost her job and couldn’t continue paying. That was before the rental assistance money became available.
“Boy, would that ever have helped,” Hendricks said.
Learning about the available money, he said, makes him feel better about future situations where a tenant may have trouble. Luckily for him, he’s not in that situation right now. His current tenants are paying.
“It certainly helps,” said Hendricks. “I don’t know if I’m completely peaceful in my mind, but it certainly helps.”
To apply for rental assistance in Utah and to learn more, visit rentrelief.utah.gov.
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