The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners voted Thursday to allocate nearly $800,000 in federal funding to five nonprofit organizations to help residents address challenges in paying rent, utility and transportation costs.

The Board of County Commissioners approved:

• An $80,000 award to Catholic Charities for rent, utility and transportation assistance and operating and capacity-building costs.
• A $74,600 award to SafeHome for rent assistance, utility assistance, transportation assistance and operating costs.
• A $385,000 award to Metro Lutheran Ministry for rent and utility assistance.
• A $50,000 award to restart, Inc., for rent, utility and transportation assistance.
• A $201,873 award to Johnson County Aging and Human Services for rent assistance.

County staff included rent, utility and transportation assistance as a focus for the funding after conducting a survey of the homeless service organizations in the region to determine areas of highest need. In anticipated coordination with the Eviction Mediation Program, nearly $600,000 in available funds was dedicated specifically to rent assistance, which was designated as the area of highest need.

After soliciting competitive applications from community partners, Johnson County Housing Services staff coordinated a rating team subcommittee made up of volunteer members of Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee to interview applicants and score proposals. The subcommittee interviewed applicants and scored proposals based on need, project impact, budget/timeliness and performance measures. After receiving the subcommittee recommendations in mid-August, the Advisory Committee recommended the subrecipient organizations and award amounts to the Board of County Commissioners for allocation approval.

More than 40% of renters in the county pay more than 30% of their income towards their housing costs. Renters also face a market that growing more expensive and competitive: the median rent in Johnson County is $1,427, and rental properties available for less than $1,000 have dropped 61% over five years. Meanwhile, the rental vacancy rate in the county is 4.9%.

Funds for transportation expenses include funding for public transportation costs and providing car repairs, a service not currently widely available in the community.

Funding for the awards came from the federal HOME-ARP program, which provides one-time funds authorized through the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds are required to benefit those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, domestic violence survivors or other at-risk populations. No county funds will be used for these awards.

The five subrecipient organizations can begin spending the funds immediately after agreements are put in place. HOME-ARP is a reimbursement grant, so organizations must first spend the funds and then seek reimbursement for eligible expenses. Dec. 31, 2026, is the target date for all funds to be spent.

Earlier this month, Johnson County awarded $2.38 million in HOME-ARP funding to Metro Lutheran Ministry to provide up to 16 housing units to serve the county’s most vulnerable homeless population. Learn more about that project online.