SLC and the Road Home Partner on new program to house 50 people in 2019

Tomorrow, Salt Lake City and The Road Home will formally launch the Shared Housing Program, designed to house 50 individuals experiencing homelessness by the end of 2019.

At its core, the Share Housing Program provides rent assistance and light case management to individuals experiencing housing instability. The program promotes co-living arrangements by matching individuals in shelter and in other vulnerable situations to help bridge the housing affordability gap.

The Shared Housing Program and the funding from Salt Lake City are unique because federal funding to rent assistance programs like Section-8 vouchers do not allow for roommate situations, creating a gap in service, especially in Salt Lake City’s tight housing market.

Through the City’s Funding Our Future sales-tax increase, which targeted funding to housing, transit, public safety, and infrastructure projects, the Shared Housing Program will receive $100,000 this year.

For the last two years, the Road Home has piloted the program and successfully housed 20 roommate pairs. Individuals in the program receive case management, including conflict resolution and mediation services, and assistance in purchasing items like locks for doors and mini-fridges. The program will also provide landlords funding to ensure their property Is maintained and rental income is secure if one roommate chooses to leave.

Eligible individuals include those currently homeless. This includes individuals in shelter, those “couch surfing,” people in enrolled in job training programs, or individuals on a fixed income making less than 40% area median income.

“When Salt Lake City launched our affordable housing plan in 2016, we understood the need to be flexible and innovative to ensure we could impact as many lives as possible,” said Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “There is no one solution to solving homelessness and housing instability, but with programs like Shared Housing we can maximize our investment and fill gaps traditional programs weren’t covering.”

“We at The Road Home are delighted to partner with Salt Lake City to launch this innovative Share Housing pilot program. This pilot is an example of how we can together create more housing opportunities for people who are currently going without housing. Our agency is grateful to Salt Lake City for their willingness to partner with us to create deeply affordable housing solutions.” said Matt Minkevitch, Executive Director of The Road Home, “We are also grateful for the contribution from the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund given for this exciting program.”

Salt Lake City and the Road Home will host a check-presentation ceremony on Thursday, March 21st at 9:00 AM to celebrate the launch.

Click here to see footage from the press conference.

Click here to see more video about this program.

Click here to visit Salt Lake City’s Fair Housing Month page.