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County ERAP funds exhausted after distributing roughly $800,000; navigator to prioritize Carbon County callers
Summary
Task-force staff said the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) closed after distributing more than $800,000 in rental aid; staff are reconciling final household counts and added a 2-1-1 navigator to prioritize Carbon County callers.
Gina, an ERAP program staff member reporting to the Carbon County Housing Task Force, said the local ERAP grant closed last week after the program exhausted available funds.
"Our ERAP program did close officially last week, so all the funds have been exhausted," Gina said on the record. She said the program supported between 170 and 180 households (the final number remains under reconciliation) and that more than $800,000 in rental assistance was distributed. Gina said the average assistance per household was about $5,000.
Gina described program follow-up for applicants who were approved but could not be funded before the program closed. She said 2-1-1 is contacting applicants who were not served to identify alternate supports and close cases. Gina also said returned funds — if any materialize — will remain available under the grant through September.
Task-force members discussed data analysis and potential performance measures. Gina said staff are reviewing ZIP-code and timing patterns in applicants and welcome input on specific data pulls. She said preliminary analysis found a concentration of applicants from the Panther Valley School District in certain months.
The task force also heard that a dedicated 2-1-1 navigator will prioritize Carbon County callers and provide some in-person casework; Gina said the navigator is part of the ongoing effort to triage housing needs locally and will remain available for outreach through the summer.
Janet and other action-committee members confirmed ongoing demand: the action committee reported 44 open cases and 52 households helped this year. The task force noted that while ERAP funds assisted many households, other barriers — landlord screening criteria, credit checks and apartment availability — continue to limit placements.
Rob, a housing committee member, suggested analyzing pre- and post-ERAP eviction filings to measure program impact; Gina and other participants expressed interest in pursuing those data to support future grant requests.
