BCC votes against rental assistance program - Buckrail

The Pilot Program presented by Jackson/ Teton County's Housing Director, April Norton, would provide rental assistance to individuals and families in Teton County. Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail

JACKSON, Wyo. — On Monday, the Teton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted against a proposed First/Last Deposit Program Pilot in a 3-2 vote.

The Pilot Program presented by Jackson/ Teton County’s Housing Director, April Norton, would provide rental assistance to individuals and families in Teton County.

“The program itself will be for individuals and households working in Teton County a minimum of 30 hours per week,” said Norton. “These are folks who are working locally, full time, and who earn less than 120% of the median family income.”

The Pilot Program would be set to last until the end of May 2022 or until funds are spent, whichever is first.

Norton elaborated that while the proposal was developed by the Housing Department, One22 would administer the program.

“We propose partnering with One22 to administer the program, as they are already running some housing assistance programs. As we started to put this program together…it became obvious that One22 was the right partner because they are providing that financial assistance [to residents in Teton County] already.”

The program is intended to help community members find stable and affordable housing, and to relieve cost burdens for families in Teton County.

In the proposed program, One22 would vet the applicants. A household may receive one award per year up to $3,000 for a household without a dependent, and $6,000 for a household with a dependent. The program is slated for $50,000 at which point the Housing Department will come to the BCC and present its findings then either choose to continue the program with changes and upgrades or to just continue the program as is.

However, Commissioners took issue with several aspects of the proposal such as where the provided deposit would go after tenants’ rental period was up along with several details regarding One22’s role in the program.

Commissioner Mark Newcomb suggested that rather the town or county controlling this program, they could instead provide the funding to One22 but designate it for their own rental assistance program.

“I don’t think I can support this today,” said Commissioner Newcomb. “I think that yes this community needs [this program] but I think that we could give funds to One22 in the spirit of a matching grant, and they can figure out all these nuanced questions on their own, based on their intimate knowledge of those who need this assistance and the community in general.”

“I’m certainly not against funding this, I just think One22 could ultimately do a better job at this,” said Newcomb.

About The Author

Buckrail @ Caroline

Caroline Chapman is a Community News Reporter who recently made Jackson home. Born and raised in Connecticut, she enjoys reading non-fiction, skiing, hiking, and playing piano in her downtime. She is most passionate about delivering and pursuing stories that directly impact the lives of individuals in the community. Her favorite aspect about living in Jackson is the genuine admiration that Wyomingites share for the land and the life that it sustains.