Help sought for Utahns living on the edge

Several organizations have implemented programs to help low- to moderate-income Utah families save money, but some told a legislative committee Wednesday that more can be done.

The Business and Labor Interim Committee heard about financial literacy programs, individual development accounts and other programs, but Tom Love, vice chairman of the United Way of Salt Lake board of directors, called for more "bold and far-reaching solutions."

Sarah Wilhelm, fiscal analysis director for Voices for Utah Children, said about 450,000 families in Utah are "really struggling to make ends meet" because income levels have stagnated while costs for mortgages, health care and transportation have risen.

"So what we're seeing is, for families of low and moderate income, there's just many more families sort of teetering on the economic edge," Wilhelm said. "Their wages have not kept up with what it takes to support themselves and their families, so they're just finding themselves much more unstable, unable to deal with the next crisis that might come down, whereas in the past they may have had some tools in their tool belt to help them deal with crises. They're getting further and further stretched, so that they're having a harder time."

One idea broached Wednesday was a state version of the federal earned income tax credit. Allison Rowland, who will replace Wilhelm at Voices for Utah Children, said low-income working families would benefit, including schoolteachers, firefighters, police officers — whom she called important elements of society "who may need a little help to get started."

Rowland said research has shown that recipients tend to spend their credits "essentially bettering their financial viability for the future" by paying for tuition, school supplies for children, transportation for work and outstanding bills.

"The idea here is that paying off these bills, getting out of debt can be an important contribution to establishing a family's financial stability," she said.

Love said three Utah United Way organizations' campaigns — titled "Utah Saves" and "Earn It, Keep It, Save It" — try to increase use of the federal earned income tax credit. More than 13,000 Utah households got help with their taxes this year, and more than $21 million in new EITC benefits came to Utah during the last tax season, "strengthening both the family income of struggling families and bringing a significant boost to our economy," he said.

Nearly 4,000 Utahns are in "Utah Saves," saving a half-million dollars every month, he said.

But 130 people on a Financial Stability Council are working to develop proposals to address issues of income, financial education, asset accumulation, affordable housing and health care.