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3 days ago
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Record homelessness in Utah renews clash between state and Salt Lake City officials
The number of homeless Utahns surged to its highest level ever in 2025 as state leadership continues to debate how to balance enhanced law enforcement and increased funding for an expanded shelter system. Nearly 4,600 Utahns were recorded as homeless during the annual 2025 Point-in-Time Count conducted the final weekend of January, representing an 18% increase from 2024 and the largest number on record. 'We had a huge increase in homelessness,' State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser told the Deseret News. 'But we've been effective in responding to it.' The sobering news comes as the nation also reaches record rates of homelessness. On Monday, President Donald Trump federalized the Washington, D.C., police department at least in part in an effort to crack down on the city's homeless encampments. At the end of July, Trump issued an executive order overturning the government's 'housing first' approach to homelessness and instructing agencies to remove obstacles for states to place homeless individuals into long-term institutional care if they pose a risk to themselves or others. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox lauded the move, ordering the Utah Homeless Services Board, which includes Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, to 'fulfill the President's executive order and uphold public safety' in a letter joined by Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz. In Utah, nearly half of the increase in homelessness was driven by growth in the chronically homeless population — defined as those who have spent at least a year on the streets with a disability, mental illness or drug addiction. The total number of Utahns experiencing chronic homelessness increased by 36% since 2024, from 906 to 1,233. The number of homeless children increased by 12%, from 589 to 662. And the number of homeless seniors over 64 increased by 42% from 251 to 356. There is a 'silver lining' in the data, according to Niederhauser: 95% of the increase was among homeless individuals in shelters — a reversal from the year before when 82% of the growth in homelessness was unsheltered. This is an indication the state's investment in winter emergency shelters is helping keep Utahns off the street, according to Niederhauser. But the overall increase — the largest jump in recent memory — points to the need for a new approach. Why did homelessness shoot up? Utah's record amount of homelessness in 2025 increased the per capita rate to 13 per 10,000 people compared to the previous rate of around 10 or 11 per 10,000. This is still significantly below the national average of 23. In its annual report published Wednesday, the Utah Office of Homeless Services attributed the rise in homelessness to a rapidly growing population that has outpaced the supply of affordable housing and access to behavioral health services. The increase also follows an unprecedented spike in fentanyl being trafficked through the state. Between 2020 and 2024, the quantity of fentanyl seized in Utah increased 95-fold — with interdictions in 2025 nearly overtaking the prior year's record before May. 'The data is clear. There is an overlap between the drugs, the transient-related crime and violent crime,' Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd told the Deseret News. 'There is a connection to those things.' Around two-thirds of Utah's homeless population lives in the Salt Lake City area, according to the Office of Homeless Services. On Wednesday, Redd and Mendenhall held a press conference outside City Hall to send a message to the governor and legislative leadership about where responsibility lies for the growing problem. Wednesday's report 'should be heard as a battle cry,' Mendenhall said, spurring action at the Utah Capitol to fully fund services and shelter space to prevent homelessness, encourage treatment and keep Utahns off of the streets. 'We need our state leaders to prioritize the resources to get this done,' Mendenhall said. 'So to Gov Cox, President Adams and Speaker Schultz, I'm calling on our state leadership to create a sea change that we need to address an issue that impacts all Utahns and just increased by 18%.' In December, Cox; Adams, R-Layton; and Schultz, R-Hooper; sent a strongly worded letter to Mendenhall that called for the city to find solutions to 'eliminate crime and restore public safety' or have the Legislature step in. Mendenhall subsequently provided a public safety plan with 27 recommendations that revolved around remaking city law enforcement and another 23 requests relying on state partners to help close the gap in homeless beds and the criminal justice system. Since Redd has taken over as police chief, the department has taken 'enforcement as far as we can,' answering a record number of 911 calls with a record number of yearly arrests, contributing to a 16-year-low in crime, Mendenhall said. The largest obstacle to changing 'the trajectory of homelessness in Utah,' Mendenhall said, isn't Salt Lake's willingness to crack down on crime, it's the Legislature's commitment to invest in long-term solutions, like funding the so-called 'transformative campus' touted by Cox and lawmakers. 'I'm extremely concerned by the lack of forward momentum from legislative leaders,' Mendenhall said. 'Salt Lake City is making good on our part, but the reality is, this is a humanitarian crisis, this is not something that we can police our way out of.' State leaders push back on Mendenhall Cox, Adams and Schultz pushed back against Mendenhall on Wednesday. Since Utah's homeless numbers began climbing in 2020, the state has invested more than $266 million on addressing homelessness, they said. This level of direct state investment is rare; most states delegate homelessness policy to cities and counties. Cox, Adams and Schultz said the Utah Governor's Office and Legislature remain committed to helping municipal and private-sector partners 'find real solutions.' The overhaul to city law enforcement under Redd has been an encouraging sign, the leaders said. Mendenhall agreed the city and state must work closer together to address homelessness concerns before the Salt Lake City Temple open house in 2027 and the Olympic Winter Games in 2034. 'The city needs to stay focused on its core responsibility of protecting its citizens, keeping streets safe and clean and making our capital a place Utahns can be proud of and visitors want to experience,' Cox, Adams and Schultz said. 'We urge Mayor Mendenhall to turn down the politics and keep working with us to find practical and lasting solutions to this complex issue. Our citizens expect results, not finger-pointing.' During the 2025 legislative session, Utah lawmakers approved, and Cox signed into law, $3.9 million in ongoing funding to launch a second family shelter in Salt Lake County, $5.5 million in one-time funding to expand emergency cold-weather shelter operations statewide and $16.7 million to shore up public resources in shelter cities. Will lawmakers fund the planned shelter? The session prior, the Legislature appropriated $25 million to buy land and construct the future backbone of the state's homelessness response: a 30-acre campus with 1,200-1,600 beds and an integrated system of treatment resources and recovery programs on site. Niederhauser said they are still investigating several potential properties for the campus. But many of them, including an area near the Salt Lake City Airport that the Legislature made available for eminent domain, require wetland studies that will take several more weeks to apply for, and several months to complete through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The priority for Niederhauser's office going into the 2026 legislative session is appropriations to fully fund the construction of the facility because the $25 million they received 'isn't going to be sufficient to do it all,' Niederhauser said. But Niederhauser said they won't put '$25-50 million of infrastructure on the ground' until the Legislature has decided whether it is willing to set aside the necessary annual funding to make the campus functional, 'which is going to be a very large number.' It currently costs the state $15-$20 million to fund the shelter beds that are available, Niederhauser said. And a campus that is actually intended to model operations like Haven For Hope homelessness campus in San Antonio, Texas, could cost twice that much every year. 'We're obviously going to need to have additional funding for the campus, and that'll be a high priority for us,' Niederhauser said. 'That would probably be our focus.' In the meantime before the campus is completed, Niederhauser said the Legislature can appropriate funding to keep the 1,100 winter beds available past April so providers aren't forced to release 'hundreds of additional people to sleep on the street' each spring. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
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Utah homelessness rose 18% in 2025, state report says
People congregate around the Geraldine E. King Women's Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Though Utah's rate of homelessness remains below the national average, a new report shows the state's homeless population is continuing to rise — and the start of 2025 marked a significant uptick. 'It's a big jump,' Wayne Niederhauser, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's state homeless coordinator, told Utah News Dispatch ahead of the report's release Wednesday. 'We haven't seen that kind of jump for years.' The annual 2025 Point-in-Time Count — which is a national tally of sheltered and unsheltered people on a single night in January — showed 4,584 Utahns were experiencing homelessness in January 2025, up by 715 people from last year, an 18% increase. Utah's homelessness rate is now 13 per 10,000 people, up from 11 per 10,000. But even though Utah is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation and has faced skyrocketing housing prices over the past five years, its rate of homelessness is still well below the 2024 national rate, which was 23 per 10,000. Though Niederhauser said it's concerning to see an 18% jump, he said there is a 'silver lining.' 'The silver lining is that 95% of those extra individuals were in shelter and not unsheltered,' he said. Under Code Blue temps and increased camping enforcement, volunteers count Utah homeless In the past several years, Niederhauser said Utah has typically seen only a 4% or 5% rate increase, but about 80% of those people were unsheltered. This year, he said, 'the good part about that data point is that most of those individuals were sheltered.' Of the 715 additional people experiencing homelessness during the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, 677 (95%) were sheltered and 38 (5%) were unsheltered, which the Utah Office of Homeless Services described in the report's key findings as a 'dramatic shift' from 2024, when that year's count rose by 131 people, but only 23 (18%) were sheltered while 108 (82%) were unsheltered. 'This year's dramatic increase in sheltered individuals compared to unsheltered is largely attributed to the expansion of winter shelter capacity, which allowed more individuals experiencing homelessness to access shelter,' the report says. This year's Point-in-Time Count took place during Code Blue temperatures, which prompted expansion of shelter capacity. Volunteers also questioned whether increased anti-camping enforcement, along with the frigid temperatures, could have factored into seeing fewer people on the streets. The report also includes several other notable findings, including: Rising child homelessness: The number of Utah children experiencing homelessness increased from 589 to 662, a 22% increase. Children now make up 14% of Utah's total Point-in-Time Count, which is still below 2024 national data, when children accounted for 19% of people experiencing homelessness across the U.S. More unhoused seniors: The number of Utahns over the age of 64 experiencing homelessness rose from 251 to 356, an increase of 42%. The increase, state officials wrote, 'may reflect broader demographic shifts,' with Utah's population of those 65 and older growing by nearly 58% from 2013 to 2023 and expected to double by 2060, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. But at the same time, 'more seniors are being priced out of housing, often living on fixed incomes that can't keep pace with rising rents and property costs,' state officials wrote. Veterans experiencing homelessness: The number of veterans experiencing homelessness grew by 36%, rising from 121 to 165. 'While this represents a notable year-over-year increase, the 2025 total remains within the historical range, falling between the 2023 count of 181 and the 2022 count of 155. A rise in first-time homelessness: Factoring in not just people tallied during the Point-in-Time Count, but also those who accessed homeless services according to the state's database, a total of 10,261 people in Utah experienced homelessness in 2024 for the first time, an increase of 5% from 2023. The state's homelessness data dashboard shows 5,122 people were categorized as 'previously homeless,' only a slight uptick from 4,942 people in 2023. In total, the state's database reported 15,383 people accessing services in 2024 statewide. To Niederhauser, the report shows even though Utah homelessness is rising — following a national trend of Americans faced with higher housing costs, inflation, and wages that aren't keeping pace with cost of living — the state's homeless system is providing options that those additional people are using rather than living on the streets. 'There's an increase in homelessness, but we're addressing it in an effective way,' he said. Once a Motel 6, Utah's long-awaited family shelter is about to open In the report's executive summary, Niederhauser highlighted a list of investments the 2025 Utah Legislature made to improve Utah's homeless system, including: $3.9 million in ongoing funding to launch and operate a second family shelter in the Salt Lake Valley. Renovated from a Motel 6, the Family Interim Non-Congregate Housing Facility, or FINCH for short, opened in April. $5.5 million in one-time funding was allocated for the 2026 fiscal year to expand emergency shelter operations during cold weather. In the 2025 fiscal year, investment in winter response supported 901 additional winter shelter beds, including 256 Code Blue beds and 3,370 emergency shelter nights provided in a hotel setting. $16.7 million in ongoing, annually adjusted funding was distributed to cities hosting homeless shelters to help mitigate their impacts. The report showed some progress toward the state homeless system's goals of making homelessness 'rare, brief and nonrecurring,' but also areas where the system is falling short. For example, state data showed a slight decrease in the number of days people are staying in emergency shelters. In 2024, 75% of emergency shelter stays were 90 days or less, down from 80% in 2023 and below previous years. 'While this trend indicates people are experiencing homelessness for longer periods of time, most only need short-term shelter support before restabilizing,' the report stays. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX However, the average length of stay in emergency shelter increased by 10 days (17%) compared to 2023, 'highlighting the growing difficulty individuals face in securing stable housing,' the report says. 'This trend underscores the urgent need for faster housing placements and a broader range of exit options from shelter.' The number of Utahns experiencing chronic homelessness also remains an issue. According to the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, 1,233 were experiencing chronic homelessness — a 36% rise from 906 in 2024. But that group represented 27% of the total Point-in-Time Count, similar to 28% in 2023. 'This highlights the continued need for supportive services for individuals with disabilities and long histories of homelessness, while also confirming that chronic homelessness remains a minority of the overall homeless population in Utah,' the report says. The report also showed, however, that supportive housing has continued to be a 'key driver of long-term stability' for people exiting homelessness. For example, state data shows: 93% of people in permanent supportive housing 'either retained their housing or moved on to other permanent options.' 2024 marked the 'fourth consecutive year this success rate has held steady.' In 2024, the percentage of people returning to homelessness within two years of exiting to permanent supportive housing declined slightly from 25% to 24%. 'These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services in keeping Utah's most vulnerable residents stably housed,' the report said. In recent years, while lawmakers have put more money toward homeless services than they have in the past, there are still plenty of requests for more money that have gone unfunded. In 2025, lawmakers approved some but not all of the funding requests Niederhauser and his office asked for, leaving funding gaps that local officials have had to find ways to fill. As his office prepares for another budget proposal, Niederhauser said his message to lawmakers for the upcoming 2026 general session in January is to acknowledge Utah's homeless population is increasing. He also noted that the data shows the length of time people are staying in shelters has increased, indicating there's a 'gap' that needs to be filled when it comes to providing options for people to cycle out of emergency shelters. 'That's the service that we really need to focus on,' he said, including additional beds at the Utah State Hospital or expanding capacity in other areas of the state's mental health system, as well as increasing capacity for supportive housing. 'That is a good message for all of us, and it's a good takeaway for the Legislature — for us to really focus on that big gap that we have for some of those services,' Niederhauser said. 'If those are available, then the nights (people) spend in shelter goes down.' For the first time, Utah's Point-in-Time Count this year also included survey questions asking unsheltered people what type of shelter they would use if available. Its findings said: 610 preferred private rooms 568 preferred 'bring-your-own setups (cars, tents, RVs) with shared facilities' 511 said they would use small units with shared bathrooms 356 were open to congregate shelters 236 said none of the above. Niederhauser said that survey 'confirms' what state and local leaders have been hearing for a long time – that providing a range of options for people will help keep more people off of the streets. He pointed to the 50-bed 'microshelter' community that opened last fall as a model that's been a success, with plans to add another 54 units in coming months. 'That kind of model we're very bullish on because the outcomes have been excellent,' Niederhauser said. He also said those survey questions are expected to inform the design of a planned 1,200- to 1,600-bed homeless campus, which is expected to offer both congregate and non-congregate shelter options. Lawmakers also passed legislation to allow the state to use eminent domain powers to 'accelerate site acquisition' for a planned 'transformative homeless services campus, with statutory authority limited to a defined area in Salt Lake City, northeast of the airport,' the report's executive summary said. State can officially use eminent domain to site a new homeless campus. What now? Niederhauser and other state officials have been working for months to site that homeless campus (expected to include 1,200 to 1,600 beds), but they have not yet announced what properties they've been eying. Last fall, the Utah Homeless Services Board set a deadline of Oct. 1, 2025 for the campus to be built, but Niederhauser said the siting process has been taking longer than expected. 'Our timeline is ASAP,' Niederhauser said when asked about a new timeline for selecting the property for the homeless campus. 'We know this is needed. We are looking at several properties, all of which have some difficult situations to overcome, like wetlands. I'll highlight wetlands, because wetlands isn't something I can solve in two weeks, three months, or even six months because the Army Corps of Engineers has to be involved in that, and there's a process you have to go through.' Depending on the outcomes of those evaluations, Niederhauser said that will determine whether state officials move forward with eminent domain powers to site the campus. He said a new timeline is not yet clear, but 'we're not sitting on this.' 'We are working hard,' he said, adding that it's been challenging to find a property along the Wasatch Front, which has limited property available that hasn't already been developed. 'Unfortunately, you know, the need is huge. We appreciate the acute need, the serious need of this. So we're not letting grass grow under our feet. We're working hard to find a pathway.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
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‘We need these units desperately': Low-income Salt Lake senior housing reopens after renovation
A subsidized housing facility for seniors recently reopened after an extensive renovation, offering modernized units and more affordable housing options to new and current tenants. New City Plaza recently opened to new tenants aged 62 and older following its nearly three-year-long renovation and modernization project. The new facility is geared toward seniors and qualifies as a 'deeply affordable' housing option, meaning it is designed for those who earn 59% of the area median income or less, with priority for those earning under 30%. Housing Connect — the Salt Lake County housing authority — began construction on the property at 1966 S. 200 East in Salt Lake City in July 2022 and aimed to upgrade 299 units housed in two adjacent 50-year-old buildings that were previously managed separately. Now, both are managed by Housing Connect, and the buildings are joined by a newly constructed one-story building used for the leasing office, resident services and laundry facilities. 'As the housing authority, we have two mandates that are different than most nonprofit providers of housing,' said Janice Kimball, Housing Connect CEO. 'We provide the housing, but we also have a mandate to work with state and local governments. I'm proud to say that New City Plaza does both. We are meeting our goals, but we're also meeting the goals of our community to provide affordable housing. This housing will serve people at as low as 30 (percent area median income) to zero income, which is not available on the market. So we're excited.' The renovation included redesigning each unit to have an open layout that would allow better space for walkers and wheelchairs than the original layout. Each unit also received new flooring and upgraded appliances and fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom. Of the modernized units, 15 are fully ADA-compliant for residents with disabilities. Amenities were upgraded and now include a puzzle room, a computer area and an outdoor courtyard that contains 25 gardening boxes for residents. The complex also contains two commercial spaces, one of which will be rented to professionals providing medical services. The updates made to the facility were necessary to prevent losing one of the few affordable community housing options in the area, according to State Homeless Coordinator Wayne Niederhauser. 'We need these units desperately,' said Niederhauser. 'We have a deficit in this state of over 70,000 units that are in the deeply affordable range. For every 100 households that are 30% and below the area median income, there are three units that they can afford. It's going to take this combined effort, though challenging and complex, but worth it.' Because of the increased need for affordable housing, Housing Connect worked with a large network of community partners to complete the over $80 million project. This includes private funding from Enterprise Community Partners and AGM Financial Services, and public funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City. 'I don't think we've ever been party to such a big housing project,' said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall at the facility's opening event. 'We're so glad that it's still here and (for) the modernization that has happened and improvements that have happened for all of the residents. Utah might be the youngest state in the nation — we are — but did you know that by 2060, 1 in 5 Utahns will be over 65 years old? That's a good portion of our population. ... But it's so important, not only that we're building housing for younger families who are just coming into the housing market, but so that all of us can age in the communities that we have helped to grow and choose to live in.' Salt Lake City contributed $900,000 in funding through the city Redevelopment Agency and waived $1.3 million in fees for the renovation project, according to Mendenhall. This contribution was made as part of the city's Housing SLC plan to make Salt Lake City more affordable and prioritize those at risk of experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness. Salt Lake County allocated around $400,000 of funds from the county HOME program for the renovation and distributed a combined $3 million from local COVID-19 recovery funding and national American Rescue Plan funding, according to Mayor Jenny Wilson. 'I'll tell you that these deals to actually come up with the funding to make this type of change are very complex, and they require a public-private partnership,' said Wilson, thanking the private and public partners that contributed. 'We often see the same people and the same groups who are participating ... it really is incredible that we figure this out because, unlike building a new home or renovating a home, you're really needing to rely on so many different revenue streams.' Applications to live at the renovated facility are now open and can be completed on the Housing Connect website.
