Two aid programs that provided rent and food assistance to Utahns during the pandemic are set to expire in March.
Since March 2020, states have been able to extend short-term SNAP emergency allotments under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to offer benefit supplements to homes in need and households where children are missing school meals.
Expiration of Food and Rental Assistance Programs in Utah
If the state has declared an emergency or a disaster and the federal government has declared a public health emergency, states may choose to offer these benefits.
The expiration date for SNAP emergency allotments, which is February 2023, was recently included in an omnibus package enacted by Congress. According to Yahoo, the monthly hike ranged from $175 to $200 per home. In Utah, 74,000 SNAP families will be impacted by this move.
Utah SNAP beneficiaries will get the same monthly benefit amount as they did prior to the outbreak. Everything else about SNAP, including qualifying requirements, won't change. Federal Emergency Rental Assistance funding totaling $344 million were provided to Utah, according to the press release. By December 31, 2022, the program had processed over 97,000 applications and distributed $287 million in rent and utility assistance to qualified households.
After February 5, 2023, applications for emergency rental assistance will no longer be accepted, and funding will likely run out by the end of March. First-come, first-served application processing will continue until all applications have been processed or until funds are exhausted.
The emergency monthly boost for food stamps, formally known as the SNAP, will come to an end in March. The average increase for each qualifying household was between $175 and $200. All 74,000 Utah households who receive SNAP benefits will be affected by the change, but nothing else about the program will change, as per UPR.
Other Programs Remain Available
Other aid programs, such as the HEAT program for electricity and water assistance, education support, and job assistance, are still accessible to Utahns in need. For further information, call 211 or speak with your local community action organization.
Under the American Rescue Plan, Utah first received $344 million in federal rental assistance funding. Only around $30 million, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, are available.
The agency has processed 97,000 applications and disbursed $287 million in rent and utility assistance to Utahns since the program's March 2021 launch. Affordable rent, according to Tara Rollins of the Utah Housing Coalition, was a problem even before the pandemic. "What will happen to those who lose the money?" she asks.
"People had financial instability and spent more than half of their salary on housing. several persons. seventy five percent. Therefore, stability is not possible," Rollins added.
According to Nate McDonald, deputy director of the Department of Workforce Services, this was especially a reaction for the pandemic and was intended to assist individuals stay in their homes during the pandemic. By the end of March, the government monies are anticipated to be exhausted, Fox13 reported. Until money runs out or all completed applications are processed, all applications received by February 5 will be handled in the order they are received.
Related Article : Higher SNAP Benefits Will Be Given to Some; Others May No Longer Receive Food Stamps by February
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