Summit County Housing Authority opens $150K emergency rental assistance grant for local nonprofits

Summit County Housing Authority’s new grant will help local nonprofits provide emergency rental assistance to eligible residents. Photo: Summit County

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — The Summit County Housing Authority is launching a one-time Emergency Rental Assistance Grant to help local nonprofits provide targeted rental assistance to community members facing housing instability.

The Housing Authority approved the pilot program at its June 15 public meeting. Applications open June 19 and are due July 8. Applications will be reviewed from July 9 to 17, with funding expected to be awarded July 20 and distributed by Sept. 1.

The grant is open to 501(c)(3) nonprofits that provide emergency rental assistance within Summit County. The Housing Authority has $150,000 available for the pilot program.

According to the Housing Authority, the grant is intended to channel funds through established nonprofits with experience distributing emergency rental assistance. Grant recipients will be required to ensure funds are used for qualified community members and to meet reporting requirements outlined in the application.

Funds may not be used for operating costs and should not be relied on for multi-year projects.

Eligible community members must meet employment, income, and residency requirements. Recipients must work at least 30 hours for an organization physically located in Summit County, be retired from such an organization, or be unable to work because of a disability. Household income must be at or below 60% of Summit County’s area median income, based on household size.

Applicants will be scored using a rubric that considers whether the organization is a qualified nonprofit providing emergency rental assistance in Summit County, how clearly it demonstrates that funds will be used for eligible community members, whether the funding request is reasonable, and whether the organization has successfully managed an emergency rental assistance program.

Average rubric scores will be presented at a public meeting on July 20, when grant funding will be awarded by a majority vote of the Housing Authority board.

Grant recipients will be required to submit two rounds of reporting: one six months after funding is issued and another when final funds are distributed or 18 months after funding is issued, whichever comes first. The Housing Authority also plans to use anonymized data from grant recipients to help inform future housing assistance programs.

More information and the full application are available through the Summit County Housing Authority.