homelessness

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.

Salt Lake County Council members challenged County Mayor Ben McAdams Tuesday on the transparency of the process for deciding what homeless populations will occupy the new proposed shelters.

All Families living at The Road Home shelter in downtown Salt Lake City will move out of the facility by July if all goes as planned. Utah lawmakers on Tuesday approved that recommendation and some additional funding for The Road Home’s Midvale family shelter.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski unveiled her proposed budget Tuesday night for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The plan includes new money for homelessness and affordable housing.

Salt Lake County will officially move forward with plans to build a homeless resource center in South Salt Lake. On Monday, a state committee approved the controversial recommendation made by County Mayor Ben McAdams.

Utah lawmakers set aside millions more for homelessness and affordable housing efforts this year, though still short of what advocates had hoped for.

KUER presented On Our Doorstep: Understanding Utah's Homelessness Crisis, part of KUER Conversations, on Thursday, February 9th, 2017 at The City Library in downtown Salt Lake.

Administrators who run The INN Between were at the state Capitol this week asking lawmakers for money to expand its operations. The hospice provides end-of-life care for homeless individuals who might otherwise be in the shelter or on the streets.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has a plan for growing the city’s supply of affordable housing. She unveiled some of the details at a press conference today.  

Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes emphasized Monday that the state is facing a homelessness crisis and it cannot be solved by one city, one county or the state alone. The Republican lawmaker made his case to the Utah House of Representatives on the first day of the 2017 Legislative Session.

Residents who went to Salt Lake City’s homeless shelter workshops are still worried, still frustrated and say they’re not getting the answers they want from city officials.

The Fourth Street Clinic is, for homeless individuals, conveniently located in the Rio Grande neighborhood between The Road Home shelter and Rescue Mission. But with new shelters and low-income housing planned in other areas of the city, patients will be more spread out. That means the non-profit clinic  will have to work harder to reach them.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams is asking Salt Lake City to make the proposed homeless shelter/resource center in Sugar House housing instead of a shelter. He announced the proposal Wednesday during his monthly Collective Impact Steering Committee meeting. 

Salt Lake City officials are asking for design proposals for a designated affordable housing project downtown.

Salt Lake City residents asked Mayor Jackie Biskupski tough questions Wednesday night about the new planned homeless shelters. Much of the frustration is focused on the city’s choice of Simpson Avenue in Sugar House as the location of a new shelter as well as doubts about whether the new model will work. 

Administrators at a Salt Lake City charter school are welcoming a new homeless shelter to the neighborhood. This comes as other city residents worry about how the four planned centers might affect property values and safety.