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Nearly one in five renters in Utah is severely cost-burdened, which means they spend more than half their income on housing, federal data shows.
[Read more: ‘Nobody has my back’: Utah’s housing crisis pushes many renters to a financial breaking point]
With a huge share of their earnings swallowed up by housing, these Utahns often find it hard to pay the rest of their bills, buy groceries or fill their car’s gas tank. But for many in these circumstances, help is available from government agencies, nonprofits and advocacy groups.
Here’s a list of resources for low-income and cost-burdened renters:
The state’s Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) Program helps low-income people in crisis pay their energy bills.
Rocky Mountain Power customers can apply for discounts to their monthly bill through the Home Electric Lifeline Program (HELP).
Dominion Energy provides a one-time annual credit to residents who are eligible for the HEAT Program.
Low-income Utahns can ask for help in improving their home energy efficiency through the state’s weatherization assistance program.
Federal COVID-19 emergency assistance is available through the state, with recipients able to use the funding for rent, security deposits and utility bills.
Utah Community Action offers income-eligible individuals rental assistance and landlord-tenant mediation.
Utah Legal Services, a nonprofit, gives free legal help to low-income Utahns for housing matters and other non-criminal cases.
Utah’s housing authorities provide rental assistance vouchers and public housing options to income-eligible residents.
Wasatch Tenants United is a renter-run organization that addresses reports of abusive landlords.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
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