Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Where and how to get help during Utah's damn cold winters.
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on January 4, 2023, 4:00 AM
Now that you've survived the holidays, the dreaded utility bills begin arriving for the month. Utah has had a colder than usual season, evidenced by six non-housed individuals in Salt Lake freezing to death when temps dropped below 20 degrees.
I have a friend whose furnace needs replacing and who has been without heat during this past month. I recommended they contact Utah Community Action about the HEAT program in Salt Lake, but for others, there are options around the state like fivecounytheat.org (funded by the Utah Department of Workforce Services' Housing and Community Development division).
Getting benefits and assistance with heat is simple if your total household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level and monthly income limits. For example, if your household size is one person, 150% of the FPL is $1,699 per month. If there's two of you, it's $2,289 per month.
Anyone can apply, as benefits are available to all eligible persons regardless of race, religion, national origin, sex, age or political belief.
There are several ways to apply for help with your heating bill: 1. an appointment with a worker, 2. apply online or 3. submit a paper application. Salt Lake residents can phone 801-521-6107. Residents of Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties can phone 435-652-9643. In Logan—notoriously the coldest city in the state—phone 435-752-7242.
I want to give a shout-out to the First United Methodist Church and its pastor in Salt Lake City for stepping up for the first time to open their doors as a warming center when temps dropped in the capital city in December into the single digits at night. The unsheltered downtown were welcome to come in and watch movies, eat donated food and hang during those brutal nights.
Volunteers from the community who normally help the unsheltered helped the staff at the historic church during those brutally cold hours to assist in herding the people to the location at 200 South and 200 East. That help alone to our unsheltered friends is certainly what the Christian Christmas spirit is about.
On the flip side, no thanks to Salt Lake County and City leaders as well as the Utah Transit Authority for not having bus service on Christmas or New Year's Day. How are the unsheltered supposed to get to the shelters around the valley when there is no bus service? Then again, same issue if you are one of those people who has to work those holidays at convenience stores/gas stations, hospitals, hotels, bars, restaurants ... how do you get to work when the buses, TRAX, Paratransit and Front Runner aren't operating?
The only priority for UTA over major winter holidays is to make sure that the Ski Bus and Park City-SLC Connect run to keep skiers happy, but not those less fortunate who can't afford a car or who don't have friends or family to drop them off at work and pick them up at the end of shift.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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