Utah County asks for $5 million to expand TANF poverty‑mitigation program after pilot results
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Summary
Utah County requested $5 million over three years to continue and scale a TANF‑funded poverty mitigation program that staff said had served 120 participants in six months and reported a 65% improvement in family resilience metrics.
Ezra Naylor, Utah County administrator, presented the county’s TANF poverty mitigation program to the appropriations subcommittee, outlining a model that provides short‑term assistance and case‑coaching to help families move from crisis toward income mobility. Naylor said the program focuses on households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and emphasized outcomes tied to income mobility and ‘family resilience’ metrics.
Naylor reported that in six months of full operation the program had served 120 individuals and that 65% of participants demonstrated increased family resilience; he asked the committee for $5,000,000 to continue the program for three years and to scale capacity to serve an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 individuals. Representatives and senators on the committee questioned per‑participant cost and expected outcomes; presenters described performance metrics tied to income movement (from 200% of FPL toward higher thresholds) and an intention to provide quarterly performance reporting.
Lawmakers expressed concern about cost per person during the startup phase and asked for clearer performance matrices for the larger appropriation. The committee did not approve funding during this hearing; presenters said they can scale the program up or down based on budget realities.