Housing costs have risen sky-high in Utah. Many are priced out of the market. Just what is the city doing to help those who have become recently homeless? They are “abating” them. Eric Peterson from the Utah Investigative Journalism Project recently wrote an article for the Salt Lake Tribune concerning the exorbitant costs of homeless abatements in 2021. Peterson appeared on … [Read more...]
Search Results for: homelessness
Utah Homelessness Getting Out of Control: What are the solutions?
A conversation with Pioneer Park Coalition board Member Scott Howell and Catholic Diocese Director Jean Hill. It’s an untenable situation: more people camping on the streets; more people unwilling to enter shelters; more clearly insane people walking around the streets in downtown; all social services in Salt Lake City are maxed out. There are not enough social workers, beds, … [Read more...]
Why Is the 600% Increase in Homeless Spending Resulting in More Homelessness in Utah?
What Can the State or City do to Alleviate Homelessness? A report was recently released (in November of 2021 by the Utah State Auditor’s Office). The report details what it has found to be some of the reasons why despite massive spending increases the homeless population only continues to increase. Currently, the major issues associated with the homeless epidemic are a lack … [Read more...]
No Hiding the Homeless: Pandemic pulls back the curtain on SLC homelessness
Next to the Geraldine E. King Women’s Center sits a cluster of tents and homeless individuals leaning against a nearby building. The Center, at 700 South and State Street stands witness to one of dozens of encampments scattered throughout the city, highlighting the persistent issue of homelessness that has become even more visible amid the pandemic. “There have been more … [Read more...]
How Drug Addiction and Homelessness are Intertwined
When someone is faced with addiction, they often can’t control the fate of their living situation as most, if not all, of their focus is solely on obtaining and using drugs they have become dependent on. When this happens, people with substance use disorders can sometimes find themselves homeless and living on the streets. The connection between addiction and homelessness is … [Read more...]
Tackling Homelessness in the Suburbs
Residents living on the south side of Cottonwood Apartments near 4700 South and 900 East could hear and were sometimes awoken over the past six months by loud construction sounds, but many were unaware of what was occurring just across Little Cottonwood Creek. Some who ventured over to the abandoned business complex at 965 East Murray Holladay Rd. to walk their dogs or just … [Read more...]
Inside Heroin Addiction and Homelessness in Salt Lake City
If a lighthouse were planted on Lookout Peak above Salt Lake City, you could trace the lambency of its beacon in a southwestern direction down the mountainside, across the polished spires of the Mormon temple, through the glass façade of Vivint Arena, and finally into the Block, where the light would disperse and settle like falling snow. The Block is the gathering place for … [Read more...]
Utah’s Revolutionary Approach to Solving the Homelessness Problem
Utah has been in the news recently for the historically conservative state’s surprisingly liberal approach to solving their homelessness problems: the state’s government has been providing homeless people with permanent housing. Through the program Housing First, Utah places chronically homeless people, meaning people who have been without a home for at least a year or who … [Read more...]
A Look at Tenement Housing as Opposed to Government Housing
Crossing the Great Chasm From Ward of the State to Productive Citizen In response to a reader's comment: on Reddit: I've actually been doing an assignment surrounding homelessness and a part of me wishes I've chosen another social issue. The more I learn the more I get depressed. I have no idea what the solutions are, and it appears to me as if there may be none to speak … [Read more...]
How to Help Your Local Community In Utah
Many people are struggling in Utah, with the Statista Research Department reporting that 8.6% of the Utah population lived below the poverty line in 2021. It’s easy to feel helpless in such a situation. You can’t help everyone struggling, and you can’t make a significant difference on your own. However, if you live in Utah and want to make a difference in at least one person’s … [Read more...]