Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Box Elder services supervisor reports rise in demand: $1.14M in direct assistance to residents in 2024
Summary
Box Elder services supervisor Alyssa Jensen told commissioners the office processed 441 utility-assistance applications (Oct–Mar), increased weatherization by 230%, provided $1,139,757 in Section 8 assistance to county residents in 2024, and supported 2,441 mobility trips.
Alyssa Jensen, the Box Elder services supervisor, delivered an annual report to the commission showing higher demand for social services and several program highlights.
"For Box Elder County for the year 2024, for Box Elder residents alone, they were able to assist with $1,139,757 of help for Box Elder residents," Jensen said, giving the total amount her office reported for housing assistance. Jensen also said the office processed 441 utility-assistance applications in the October–March period (up from 298 the prior year) and increased weatherization applications by 230%.
Other program details Jensen reported included 84 VITA tax returns processed for county residents (saving an average of $300 per household and returning about $101,000 in refunds), a mobility program that funded 2,441 one-way passenger trips for residents who lack transit access, and startup rapid-rehousing/hotel-voucher work that kept people from sleeping on the streets at a county cost under $19,000.
Jensen highlighted aging services activity (Medicare counseling provided to 629 individuals from the county office) and described a new "STEPS" program that helps residents with job applications and training rather than one-time cash assistance. She thanked local partners, including restaurants that agreed to provide meal vouchers for displaced families, and invited commissioners to share a list of participating businesses so the county can formally thank them.
Commissioners praised the office for leveraging county funds to win federal matches and urged Jensen to provide program-specific project counts on request.
