homelessness

A crime and drug crackdown outside Salt Lake City’s homeless shelter this summer forced hundreds of people out of the Rio Grande neighborhood. And they may be temporarily out of sight, but for many communities they’re not out of mind.

There’s more money than ever going into homelessness and addiction recovery in Utah right now. But that’s creating some new problems for treatment providers.   

In our series Hive Mind, listeners ask questions about different topics and KUER reporters try to answer them. This week you asked-how much affordable housing is acceptable and who decides it?

Crossroads Urban Center is calling for the creation of more shelter and housing options for homeless families in Salt Lake County. They’re releasing a Wednesday that shows the county’s existing services for homeless families are struggling to keep up with demand.

Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows, in addition to a slight uptick in homelessness this year, more homeless people are going unsheltered. That means they’re sleeping in camps or on the streets.

The latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Development show this is the first time homelessness has gone up in Utah in six years.

Leaders say the long-term crime and drug crackdown in Salt Lake, Operation Rio Grande, is moving into a new phase. The focus now is getting people to work.

Homeless people in Salt Lake City will be able to access emergency shelter, meals and other services at The Road Home this winter, even if they don’t sign up for the state’s new homeless identification card.

Utah officials presented an update of Operation Rio Grande on Wednesday. That’s the initiative to crackdown on crime and drug activity in downtown Salt Lake City.

Experts and organization leaders gathered this week to talk about homeless services at the 14th annual Homelessness Summit in downtown Salt Lake. One of the main topics included trauma among homeless individuals.

Homeless people poured into the Salt Palace Convention Center early Friday morning to get a whole range of services from haircuts to family planning as part of the city’s first annual Project Homeless Connect.

This week, people who were arrested during Operation Rio Grande went before a judge and asked for help. By agreeing to avoid drugs and alcohol, get treatment and check in once a week, they were offered a spot in Salt Lake County’s new drug court.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has signed a lease agreement with the state of Utah to close off a portion of Rio Grande Street to cars and pedestrians. At the same time, state officials are preparing to implement a new identification system that will limit access to the street to people receiving services. 

Substance abuse and mental health treatment options will come available over the next four months for individuals identified through Operation Rio Grande.

A statewide effort to address crime in Salt Lake City’s Rio Grande neighborhood began Monday. “Operation Rio Grande” has three phases that start with large-scale arrests. 

The State Homeless Coordinating Committee approved funding Tuesday to purchase the third of three properties where new homeless shelters will be built.

The Road Home shelter in Salt Lake City met its state-imposed deadline for moving all families out of the facility by July 15th.

State and local leaders have launched a new campaign to curb panhandling, and it doesn’t mince words.

The Road Home Shelter in Salt Lake City signed a contract with the state to move every family out of the facility by July 15th or lose funding. Now, the pressure is on to find low-income housing.

Here at The Road Home, 13-year-old Johnathon Whaley rides the big yellow cart he and his mom are using to move their belongings out of the private room they’ve lived in for about eight months. Lorie Tonge and her son have a new one-bedroom apartment-just down the street.

"I'm feeling uplifted knowing that I never gave up," Tonge says.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams wants to move the downtown liquor store. He hopes it will reduce the flow of alcohol into the troubled Rio Grande neighborhood. Officials at the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control support the idea but say there are obstacles.

Salt Lake County officials announced additional steps Tuesday for improving public safety in the Rio Grande neighborhood. They called on Salt Lake City officials to get on board.

Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder will be the new chief of police in Moab. Moab Mayor Dave Sakrison appointed Winder Tuesday morning.