In April, Ogden Weber Community Action Partnership, or OWCAP, announced in a press release that nearly 100 families had been helped by two three-year grants made possible through funding from the Department of Workforce Services via the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program — the TANF Housing Assistance Program and the Benefit Navigator Program.

According to the release, the housing element is aimed at helping families.

“The TANF Housing grant provides critical temporary rental assistance to families in need. Launched in October 2025, the program has already supported 67 families,” the release said. “Assistance includes coverage for current and past-due rent, mortgage payments, deposits, and utilities. To qualify, households must include at least one minor child and work-eligible adults committed to employment case management aimed at long-term financial independence.”

The release noted that the housing program works in tandem with the Benefit Navigator Program.

“Complementing housing support, the Benefit Navigator program offers intensive case management focused on education, employment, and financial coaching,” the release said. “The program helps work-eligible families with minor children navigate the transition as their income increases, with a goal of reaching at least 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). To date, 34 families have benefited from these navigation services.”

OWCAP Executive Director Chris Ipsen told the Standard-Examiner that the program fits well into their mission.

“Last summer, we had the opportunity to apply for some TANF funding with the state of Utah and we were able to apply for family housing support services,” she said. “What we loved about this opportunity was we were able to do homelessness mitigation but then also look at increasing employability and income with the support of the Department of Workforce Services employment counselor. That’s why we thought this would be a perfect fit with our mission of helping elevate people out of poverty because it’s not just one piece where we’re only looking at homelessness and keeping people housed, but also what can we do to help them increase their income so they’re going to be in a better spot?”

Cody Egan, OWCAP housing mediator, said that this grant program has been a significant help to the families so far, and the timing of their availability couldn’t be better.

“They’ve helped a lot because, right now, the number one issue with housing is affordability, especially in Weber County where it’s gone up significantly in the last five years,” he said. “Another way that it’s helped a lot is attaching those case-management services to the rental assistance. A lot of times, the clients are having communication issues with landlords, so the case manager is able to get involved with their relationship and help communicate between the two parties if there’s any issues and also get them connected to other services in the community and OWCAP.”

He said several clients working with the benefit navigators have been able to find employment since joining the program.

Ipsen said these grants are exactly what was needed in Weber County at this time.

“We’re always taking a look and doing community assessments and seeing what needs are here,” she said. “Based off of those needs, we applied for the grant. We were really excited when we put in that application of what the opportunities could be. As soon as we were awarded the grant, it’s been really successful with getting people in the door, looking at their eligibility and then they’re receiving the services. I think it’s pretty exciting to help support our community as things get more expensive.”