Davis County warming center moves to Kaysville amid resident concerns
As temperatures drop below freezing this week, those experiencing homelessness and utilizing Davis County warming centers are now being sheltered in Kaysville, following the demolition of the Layton location.
Kaysville Mayor Tami Tran told residents earlier this month that Davis County's main warming center in Layton would be demolished on Feb. 3, rather than sometime in July, as was previously thought. Despite heavy opposition from residents, the county determined the warming center would be relocated to the I/M (Tech Center) Building, an emissions testing facility at 520 Old Mill Lane in Kaysville.
In the announcement posted to Facebook and the city website, Tran reaffirmed the city's stance against hosting the warming shelter.
"This decision was made without Kaysville City's input or approval, and unfortunately, Kaysville City has no authority to prevent it," she said. "Our position remains unchanged: Kaysville City does not support or endorse a shelter in our community. Our city does not possess the necessary resources to appropriately address the support needs required."
Prior to the change, the Kaysville facility was selected as an alternate location for the warming center in November. Following that decision, Davis County commissioners heard from over 100 residents opposing the Kaysville warming center, citing reasons such as concern for the health of those staying overnight in a building used for emissions testing. Others were more concerned with the center bringing homelessness to a city that does not have a significant number of residents experiencing homelessness and its impact on resident safety.
In 2024, the Utah Legislature passed HB298, amending services for the homeless where certain counties are required to create winter response plans that include sheltering those currently unhoused during code blue events. A "code blue" is a weather event between Oct. 15 and April 30 when temperatures are forecasted to dip to 18 degrees or below for two or more hours, or there are any other extreme weather conditions. When code blue is in effect, the warming center is open from 8 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., and visitors are provided 24-hour UTA bus passes to get to and from the building.
Because warming centers are a life-saving measure for those experiencing homelessness, clients are not required to be sober to be admitted, but drugs and alcohol are prohibited from the facility. Those who are considered a threat to the safety or health of other clients will not be admitted or will be asked to leave if they become a threat.
Recognizing citizen concerns, Tran confirmed there are numerous precautions in place to ensure the safety of warming center guests and residents in the community. County staff and volunteers are on-site throughout the night to admit clients into the facility and promote adherence to rules, including a county officer to further enforce safety measures.
"While our city and staff still believe Kaysville is not the right place for a facility," Tran said, "we have witnessed firsthand the humbling and heartbreaking reality: There are individuals within our county who truly have nowhere to go on freezing winter nights."
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services determined Davis County met those requirements Sunday night, marking the first evening the warming shelter would be at the new location. Code blue has remained in effect since Sunday and is predicted to continue through Thursday.
"It's gone well," said Ryan Steinbeigle, Davis County grant administrator. "We haven't really had any pushback or anything from the community. After they've seen what the operation has looked like at our old location, I think that kind of quelled people's fears and concerns."
The former warming center in Layton is located less than 2 miles from the new Kaysville location, allowing operations to continue without much difference for those running the facility. As for those concerned about the safety of the new location, Steinbeigle confirmed the building has been prepared to meet the visitors' needs.
"It's a county-owned building that we still use for emissions testing and inspections, but the building's clean," Steinbeigle said. "There's not like hazardous materials or waste or anything in the area. The building is still used for inspections but it's fenced off so we set up a sleeping area for men and women, separating those two populations within the bay. But it's a very clean, very well lit, organized building, so in terms of safety, there really isn't any issues there."
The I/M building will continue to function as the county warming center for the remainder of the season, but next year, the location could potentially change.
On Thursday, Davis County Commissioner Bob Stevenson attended the Kaysville City Council meeting to address the city and thank residents for their involvement in addressing homelessness in the county. He shared the positive experiences he has had while volunteering at the warming centers and reassured residents that the county is still working to find a permanent solution.
'We at the county are trying to get this figured out with what we have to do in the future,' Stevenson said. 'We do not believe that we need to be looking at some year-round facility or anything. We've just got to come up with a good location and a good facility that can handle this code blue.'
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