A massive infusion of federal cash will soon help many Utah refugees pay their monthly rent, helping to lift families out of poverty faster and easing their first years in America.
Utah officials have identified as much as $2 million in federal welfare funding per year that they can funnel to rental assistance, an amount that could help hundreds of newcomers and other refugees who are already here. Although details still need to be worked out, the goal is to begin funding in January for a two-year period.
This is believed to be the first program of its kind in the country.
Because refugees receive such minimal financial assistance from the federal government, many for only a handful of months, their rent becomes a staggering burden and leaves little to no money for the electric bill or winter coats. It's estimated that many refugees put 80 percent or more of their income toward rent.
"They can't afford to buy other things their families need, like diapers for their children," said Aden Batar, the resettlement director at Catholic Community Services, which helps new refugees after they arrive in Utah.
The program would be modeled after a rental assistance program for the homeless, in which families pay about 30 percent of their income on rent. To qualify, a refugee family would have to have an income below a certain poverty level and meet other requirements.
The housing authorities in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County would run the program, in collaboration with refugee resettlement agencies.
Depending on their backgrounds, many refugees arrive in Utah with little work experience. They may not know how to read in any language. After living for generations in camps, they may be totally unfamiliar with a kitchen stove or indoor toilet.
Yet the U.S. refugee resettlement system is designed to put refugees to work immediately, often forcing even educated individuals to take the most basic of jobs. Some families are simply unable to earn enough money to pay their bills, and get evicted. Once their food stamps are gone each month, they may have little money left over to buy meals.
The families typically wait two years or more for the public housing subsidy known as Section 8. Once their names come to the top of the list, they can receive discounted rent, which they qualify for because they are still living in poverty.
All of this leaves refugees facing the unknown.
"I'm worried about the future, how I'm going to pay the bills," said Moeen Hasan, an Iraqi refugee, through a translator last fall. "This moment I'm comfortable but I don't know what will happen next."
Hasan, his wife and their five children live in a three-bedroom apartment that they pay for with his salary working for Deseret Industries. The rent is nearly $1,000 per month.
"I'm sure there are many other refugees having the same problem," Hasan said through a translator. "They want to work and can't make enough."
Initially, the refugee rental assistance program will only be able to serve certain low-income families with children, specifically single-parent families or two-parent families where one adult is unable to work. So some families will continue to wait for help.
But the program should immediately reduce the housing toll for some refugees.
"We're really hopeful this can help them succeed and succeed sooner," said Kerry Bate, the executive director of the county housing authority. "Because the stability of housing means you have other things you can address in your life."
Lisa Schencker contributed to this report.
