Eagle County creates new assistance fund for individuals experiencing extreme financial need
Eligible parties can receive up to $1,500 once in a 12-month period to cover housing, food, medical or other needs
Eagle County is finding innovative ways to support those most in need.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Eagle County Board of Commissioners approved the establishment of the Eagle County General Assistance Program, an emergency fund to provide emergency financial aid to individuals in crisis.
Megan Burch, Eagle County’s director of human services, said the fund gives the county “clear authority to provide assistance to people experiencing poverty and hardship in our community.”
Eagle County residents and visitors traveling through Eagle County experiencing an emergency are eligible to receive up to $1,500 in funding within a 12-month period, granted they first exhaust all other avenues for financial assistance.
Why did Eagle County establish a fund?
The idea for the general assistance fund was first proposed when the federal government experienced a partial shutdown in October, leaving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program funding to lapse. This resulted in many families being unable to purchase the food they needed.
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“We are so aware of these things because it is counties, typically, among local governments, who really execute all of the laws and safety net programs and all of the things that shore up this entire nation,” said Commissioner Matt Scherr at the board’s first review of the ordinance creating the program on Jan. 27.
At the time, the county was unable to provide any financial support to individuals affected by the SNAP pause because it did not have explicit permission to allocate the funds. The creation of the general assistance program means the county now has the necessary process to offer funds to individuals under similar circumstances.
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“This is a way for us to do what we can,” said Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney on Jan. 27. “Hopefully … we’ll have a process, and we’ll never need to utilize it because federal funds and state funds will continue to flow as they are supposed to for people that are entitled to these services.”
What the ordinance says
The general assistance program, in the language of the ordinance that created it, establishes “temporary general assistance to persons experiencing poverty or financial crisis who reside or are present in the county.”
Eagle County residents will be eligible to receive assistance for food, transportation, rent, utilities, medical needs, dental needs, clothing, work-related supplies and/or burial expenses.
Non-residents will be eligible to receive assistance for food, transportation, lodging, medications, emergent medical needs and/or clothing.
The specific requirements for each category are listed out in the ordinance, with most requirements being related to needing the assistance for work or health-related reasons.
Funds are administered through Eagle County’s Department of Human Services (DHS).
The department will pay “directly to the provider of services, goods or accommodation” that the eligible person needs, rather than providing a direct payment to the individual, unless specifically justified.
A household not already receiving public assistance through the department must have a gross income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level — $99,000 for a four-person household in 2026 — or be able to prove ongoing self-sufficiency after the immediate financial need is met.
Participants must first try other methods of receiving financial assistance, including public and private aid, aid from family members and property assets before applying for assistance from the county.
When requesting aid from the county, participant must fill out and submit forms to the Department of Human Services.
Participants can receive up to $1,500 of assistance one time within a 12-month period, unless the cap is explicitly waived by DHS director.
The general assistance program will become active beginning March 12.
With the new fund, “No matter what may come, no matter what uncertainties may be there, Eagle County is going to steady the ship,” said Commissioner Tom Boyd on Feb. 10. “In the long term, what we need from our federal and state governments, from our larger governments, is to reduce the storminess of the seas.”
